The Russian military base in Armenia is preventing aggression through its efficiency. Thanks to the second Russian military base and accession to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenia has trained nearly 4,000 officers, and it has done it free-of-charge. This is what Armenia’s former minister of defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan told journalists today.

Touching upon the recent operations of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of Armenia’s Tavush Province, Vagharshak Harutyunyan reminded that the Treaty of the Collective Security Treaty Organization states that the CSTO can intervene only in case of aggression. According to him, the operations of the Azerbaijani troops were not an act of aggression. “Aggression is when a country’s territory is seized. The Treaty states that the CSTO intervenes when the particular country addresses the CSTO,” Harutyunyan emphasized.

He also touched upon the statements that the Russian Federation isn’t against seeing Azerbaijan join the CSTO and reminded that there was a time when Azerbaijan was a member of the CSTO. “However, after two years, during a session, Heydar Aliyev told President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin that Azerbaijan had joined the CSTO so that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be resolved, but it wasn’t resolved since the CSTO is not supporting Azerbaijan. Yeltsin told Aliyev that the CSTO only acts in case of aggression, and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is solved based on other principles. I practically rule out Azerbaijan’s accession to the CSTO. In the current situation, Azerbaijan won’t address the CSTO, and there is also the Turkish factor. Turkey has established its control in the Azerbaijani army, and Armenia won’t allow Azerbaijan’s accession,” he said.