CSTO summit in Yerevan: 14 documents signed, none against Azerbaijan

REGION  24 November 2022 - 09:41

Leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member countries have made a decision on supplying the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces with modern arms, military and special equipment and special means.

The document is part of a list of 14 documents signed at the CSTO summit in Yerevan on November 23, TASS reports.

The list of documents is published on the website of the Kremlin.

The summit adopted a decision on the joint formation of the CSTO radiation, chemical and biological protection and medical support, a decision on the CSTO communications system, and a protocol decision on the improvement of the CSTO crisis response system.

Several documents concern organisational and personnel matters. Among them are the decisions regarding the CSTO secretary-general, chairmanship term of the CSTO Collective Security Council, Chairperson of the CSTO Interstate Commission for Military-Economic Cooperation, CSTO Congress and Exhibition Event, chairmanship of the organisation, time and venue of the next session of the Collective Security Council.

One of the signed decisions deals with the interaction between the CSTO and other organisations: the intention to develop cooperation with the CIS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Other documents related to the budget of the CSTO and awards on the occasion of the 20th and 30th anniversary of the CSTO.

Pashinyan's demarche

However, the summit was not without demarches.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council in a narrow format that he was not ready to sign documents concerning assistance to Armenia, Sputnik Armenia reports.

They were "CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Declaration" and "Joint Action on Assistance to the Republic of Armenia". The head of the government noted that the documents are not sufficiently finalized and he is not ready to sign them in this form.

Earlier, in his concluding remarks, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said that Armenian friends had proposed amendments during the discussion of the two documents. However, it was decided not to accept, not to go deeper.

"For us, the confirmation of the CSTO zone of responsibility in the Republic of Armenia is of fundamental importance. The very existence of such wording may seem strange, but studying the context of our recent discussions, we have come to the conclusion that it is of utmost importance," he said.

He also described as manipulations the allegations that Armenia is allegedly trying to draw CSTO countries into war with Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, according to the premier, Armenia cannot be interested in war, if only because it has suffered enough from wars.

CSTO a fiasco?

Meanwhile, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said the Armenian prime minister treats the CSTO as a fiasco, which is his right, but the demand for the structure is obvious, Sputnik Armenia reported.

The Armenian prime minister, speaking at the very beginning of the meeting, said he was rather inclined to interpret the work of the CSTO on the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a fiasco. It is the right of the Armenian side to interpret the situation that way. But on the other hand, the relevance of the CSTO in this situation is obvious," Peskov said in an interview for "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin".

According to him, the organisation will have to decide how it can help resolve the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Now we have to decide how to proceed so that the CSTO can help resolve the situation, reduce tension, play a pacifying role for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and so that the Armenian side dispels all doubts," Peskov added.

Caliber.Az