MATTHEW BRYZA: CSTO HAS NO IMPACT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

ArmInfo
2009-02-06 13:36:00

ArmInfo. The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) joint
military forces will have no impact on Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations,
which occur under the auspices of the OSCE’s Minsk Group, OSCE Minsk
Group’s U.S. Co-chairman Matthew Bryza said in his interview with
Trend News on Feb. 6.

"We do not know any details beyond initial reports of the possible
plan to create a rapid reaction force under the CSTO," Bryza said.

The CSTO countries agreed to create joint forces to combat terrorism
and other threats on Feb. 4. The member-countries noted that NATO
has not responded to the call to cooperate.

The CSTO comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Armenia, Belarus and Uzbekistan which decided to join the regional
military police bloc only in special cases. Bryza said that the U.S.,
Russian, and French Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group are working well with
each other and with the parties to the conflict. "It was reflected in
the positive momentum generated by Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisyan,
most recently, on Jan. 28 in Zurich," Bryza added.