Armenia’s Foreign Ministry: Too much expectation from CSTO dangerous for Armenia

Armenia has to rely on itself, not on the CSTO or any other organization, when it comes to its security, says Shavarsh Kocharyan, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

Talking to journalists, Friday, he said that being a member of an organization does not mean an unconditional support. Turkey is a member of NATO, but its NATO partners harshly criticize the operation of the Turkish army against Kurds.

“Too much expectation from any organization may be dangerous. On the other hand, it is necessary to understand the importance of the relations with any country, especially the allies,” Kocharyan said. The deputy minister believes it necessary to create an atmosphere where all the CSTO countries would fulfill their commitments.

At the same time, he said Armenia benefits from the military-technical and military-economic cooperation within the CSTO.

In particular, the deputy minister said, the CSTO Secretariat and Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha responded to the situation in Karabakh, and “Bordyuzha’s current visit to Armenia speaks volumes.”

Yet the deputy minister is concerned over behavior of some CSTO partners, in particular, Belarus.  That country has recently adopted a military doctrine that is a problem not only for Armenia, but also for the Collective Security Treaty Organization, he said. The document bans the Belarus army from engaging in any armed operations abroad. The bill “On Approval the Military Doctrine of the Republic of Belarus” was urgently submitted to the Belarussian parliament earlier this month when Azerbaijan unleashed military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Shavarsh Kocharyan said the military doctrine is a matter of concern and Yerevan has openly said this to Minsk.

 “Afterwards, Belarus tried to neutralize its steps through a statement by the president’s spokesperson. However, we have already said and will continue saying that this is turning into a problem not only for Armenia, but also for the entire CSTO,” Kocharyan said.