Foreign ministers of CSTO member-states meet in Minsk, Belarus on June 20
Belarus President Says Armenia’s CSTO Criticism is Justified
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Tuesday emphasized the imperative of the CSTO to respond to Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.
Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s summit of foreign minister in Minsk, the Belarus capital, Mirzoyan spoke extensively about Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenians on Artsakh as well as its continued breach of Armenia’s borders through attacks on Armenian military positions.
He said that in light of Azerbaijan’s continued use of force, the CSTO must unconditionally fulfill its obligations and prove a clear assessment of the violations being committed against Armenia’s sovereign borders.
Yerevan and the CSTO, of which Armenia is a member, have been at odds since the organization did not properly condemn Azerbaijan’s attack and invasion of Armenia in September of last year. On several occasions, Armenia has appealed to the CSTO for assistance when Azerbaijan has breached its sovereign borders beginning in May, 2021. However, according to Yerevan, the organization has not responded according to the group’s charter.
Armenia has claimed that a lack of response by the CSTO prevented it from signing an agreement in November to allow the group to deploy a mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijan border.
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus told the CSTO summit on Tuesday that Armenia’s criticism of the security bloc is “justified.”
Lukashenko said that Armenia is making justified claims, while another member, Kyrgyzstan, has been asking for support in resolving a border dispute with Tajikistan.
“I would say there are problems, very serious problems,” Lukashenko told the summit.
“If we do not resolve these problems, we will constantly rebuke each other and express discontent regarding the activities of the entire organization. Problems are there to be resolved. Thus, regardless of anything, we must dive into these issues that CSTO member Armenia and CSTO members Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are addressing today,” Lukashenko added.
“If we can help resolve the conflict on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border; if we start solving this issue, they will be grateful. People will stop dying, and these countries will always be grateful to us. The same goes for the most difficult problem of Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the Belarus leader said.
Ahead of the summit, Lukashenko met privately with Mirzoyan, who provided a briefing on the latest violations and attacks by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh.
After recalling Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of Armenia’s sovereign territory, Mirzoyan addressed Azerbaijan’s continuous aggressive actions against Armenia’s sovereign territory and internationally recognized borders, the targeting of Armenian positions and civilian infrastructure in recent days, and emphasized their destabilizing effect on regional stability and security. In this context, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative of CSTO’s response.
Mirzoyan also referred to the tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and around Nagorno-Karabakh, including the provocations of Azerbaijan in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping troops.
The Armenian foreign minister told Lukashenko that Azerbaijan’s actions are not only hindering efforts to establish peace with Armenia, but also damage efforts by “all parties interested in ensuring stability and predictability in the South Caucasus.”