Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Feb 7 2009
Armenian expert: "The first examination for the CSTO fast response
forces might become Armenia’s defense when hostilities in the Karabakh
conflict area are resumed"
07 February 2009 [11:35] – Today.Az
"The first examination for the CSTO fast response forces, if they are
created in time, might become Armenia’s defense in case hostilities in
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict area", said expert on South Caucasus
problems Viktor Yakubyan.
He said Armenia "is interested in the real militarization of CSTO as
earlier the organization was more engaged with bureaucratic activity:
Armenia, which is currently presiding over CSTO, is interested in the
soonest creation of fast response forces, of which country’s president
Serzh Sargsyan declared in Moscow", noted the expert.
"The fact that the Armenian President stressed the need for the
soonest creation of joint armed forces of CSTO, proves that he is
concerned with the situation in the Karabakh conflict and really the
situation on the front line is alarming and the fire exchange at the
front has become common", continued Yakubyan.
At the same time, the expert noted that creation of the fast response
forces is a response to NATO’s unwillingness to take the "post-Soviet
defense bloc" seriously".
"The North Atlantic alliance has almost ignored numerous appeals of
the CSTO leadership on cooperation. The decision to establish fast
response forces is the statement of CSTO readiness to open competition
with NATO in the post-Soviet area. In this contest Azerbaijan and
Moldova’s accession would be a real breakthrough for CSTO, though it
is difficult to reckon on it now.
On the other hand, the North Atlantic alliance will try to undermine
the influence of the new military and political union (before the
decision to create the fast response forces CSTO was a political
bloc). Armenia is the most vulnerable point in the CSTO responsibility
area. Once secretary general of the organization Nikolai Bordyuzha
said in open that CSTO will not interfere with the Karabakh conflict
in case it is resumed. But what if Armenia interferes with the
conflict? The CSTO members do not and will not have a consolidated
position in this issue", concluded Viktor Yakubyan.
/Regnum/
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