The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should not be viewed solely as a military alliance, Azerbaijani MP Ali Huseynli told Haqqin.az news agency of Azerbaijan.

As per Huseynli, even though Azerbaijan is considered Russia’s ally, it formally does not have that status, and this puts it in an unequal position with Armenia.

“If Azerbaijan joins the CSTO, the [Nagorno-]Karabakh conflict turns—for Russia—into a conflict between two partners in the organization,” he noted, “and this gives it [Russia] grounds for intensifying the mediatory efforts toward resolving it.”   

At the same time, Huseynli pointed to the economic and military privileges for the CSTO member countries.

“That’s why the chances of Azerbaijan’s membership in the CSTO is worth seriously considering,” the lawmaker said. 

In his words, if Azerbaijan joins the CSTO, the latter will become neutral in case hostilities resume in Karabakh.

“That’s why, it [Azerbaijan’s accession to the CSTO] can be started from an observer status in this organization,” Ali Huseynli added.