YEREVAN. - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) must have responded to the downing of the Armenian helicopter in Karabakh the way it did with regard to the shooting down of the Russian jet. Armenia’s Deputy FM Shavarsh Kocharyan told the aforementioned to Radio Liberty, stressing that if the member-states of the alliance wish to be an influential and not a formal institution, they must act pursuant to the  organization’s Charter.

“Russian jet was shot down. Apparently, if you have a military and political institution, there must be some kind of response. In fact, the response was given this time, but - as I said earlier - currently in many issues Turkey imitates Azerbaijan.  Wasn’t there such a similarity when Azerbaijan downed the Armenian helicopter, and no response was actually given specifically on behalf of the CSTO. Although we requested no support from them – we have no issue in punishing Azerbaijan with this respect –as an institution it should have expressed its stance on the matter,” Kocharyan said.

“If we indeed wish to have a military and political institution, and not a formal one, there are issues where one should act according to the Charter. And the CSTO Charter includes points which certainly require to give a relevant response to the similar situations. Part of the President’s speech was made during the CSTO session, whereas what he said in front of the journalists was an agreed stance. That is, the criticism voiced against Turkey with regard to that step was the assessment of all the countries,” the Deputy FM added.

Responding to the question on the feedback of the CSTO members with regard to that assessment, Kocharyan said: “If the step has been made today, this creates a ground for already realizing this stance in the future.”

Referring to the view that there are serious controversies in the CSTO and that two CSTO member-states, Russia and Belarus, are selling large amounts of weapons to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan siding with Azerbaijan in international institutions, Kocharyan said: “First of all, two CSTO members – Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – are members of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (CCTS), where they have their benefits – common benefits. On the other hand, they are EEU and CSTO members. Here we already have an issue: simultaneously being a member in different organizations, the state must in any case implement those obligations which in the given case it has in the CSTO or EEU.”

Kocharyan refuted the information disseminated by media outlets on that certain CSTO member states were against the Armenian representative’s assuming of the office of the organization’s Secretary General.