YEREVAN. – Armenia should not pin hopes on the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), but, rather, it should realize where its interests coincide—and do not coincide—with Moscow, or Astana.
Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, stated the aforementioned at a press conference on Tuesday. He noted this commenting on then CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha’s statement with respect to the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia on December 29, 2016.
In Iskandaryan’s words, the CSTO was tasked with reacting to this incident in some way, and it did so. On the other hand, it is apparent that the events in early April of the year past—when Azerbaijan had unleashed a large-scale military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)—were followed by some internal arrangements, where Russia played an important—if not a decisive—role.
As per the analyst, however, it is myopic to think that all CSTO member countries would express unanimously in favor of fellow member Armenia.
“It’s completely predictable that Kazakhstan has its specific position on Karabakh and matters related to it, Belarus—its [own position],” added Iskandaryan. “Kyrgyzstan may not have a certain position, but it may not coincide with Armenia’s position. (…). Karabakh is not at all the main problem for Moscow.
“There always are such conflicts of interests, and there is no need to raise a matter of trusting the CSTO, or someone else. [We] need to seek where these interests coincide with Armenia’s interests.”
