MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – Armenia has not blocked any decision of the CSTO summit, State Secretary of Belarus' Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich told reporters, BelTA has learned.
“Not a single decision has been blocked. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia have agreed on all the decisions [documents submitted to the summit attended by the heads of state], on the declaration. This is a testimony to mutual understanding, including on the part of Armenia, in addressing issues within the scope of responsibility of the Organization,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.
When asked by BelTA how bad Armenia's non-participation in the Minsk summit was for the CSTO, he said: “Of course, it would be great to see everyone here today: the heads of state and delegations. But the most important thing is that the Armenian side agreed with all the decisions. There were objective and subjective reasons why our Armenian colleagues decided not to come to Minsk.”
Yet, Aleksandr Volfovich is sure that Armenia does not want to leave the CSTO. “This would be wrong, it is not in the interests of the people of Armenia and the country,” the Security Council chief emphasized.
Earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Sergei Aleinik told BelTA that all decisions of the CSTO summit in Minsk will be legitimate despite the absence of the Armenian side. “I have had a telephone conversation with my Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan. We discussed, among other things, these issues and decision-making mechanisms. All decisions that will be made today will be absolutely legitimate. In accordance with the rules and procedures of the organization, all decisions are made by consensus of all member countries. We agreed that following the summit, the CSTO secretary general will visit Yerevan. And, naturally, we will forward all the decisions finalized here within the framework of the conciliation commission to our Armenian partners. And we will count on them to join these decisions,” he said.
Commenting on the absence of high-ranking Armenian officials at the Minsk summit, including the prime minister, Sergei Aleinik said that he is okay with it.