Armenian PM criticises CSTO, calls for clear territorial integrity recognition

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has once again criticised the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for failing to meet its obligations to Armenia. 

He reflected on the history of Armenia's military-political alliances, suggesting that the country's earlier reliance on such alliances and its military force to reduce external vulnerabilities had proven ineffective, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media. 

Pashinyan noted that, in the past, Armenia had not fully recognised the implications of the CSTO's stance on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. He pointed out that, within the framework of the CSTO, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was always implicitly acknowledged.

Pashinyan emphasised that this was confirmed by the Russian president on November 18 and December 17, 2020, when he stated that, from the point of view of international law, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan and has always been considered as such.

“We are discussing whether the CSTO member states recognize the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. But before we ask ourselves this question, we must first answer another: do we recognize our own territorial integrity or not?” he pondered. 

He stressed that Armenia's own recognition of its territorial integrity was a crucial factor in this context. The prime minister raised the question of whether Armenia was truly ready to recognise its own territorial integrity in a way that would be meaningful to its allies, including CSTO members.

In this regard, Pashinyan highlighted that Armenia had come to a realisation about the importance of legitimacy in its security strategy. He explained that in order for Armenia's territorial integrity to be respected, it must align its own recognition of this integrity with the standards accepted by international military-political alliances. This alignment would ensure that Armenia's territorial integrity is valid not just domestically but also in the context of its security partnerships.

Furthermore, Pashinyan referred to the discussions held in Prague on October 6, 2022, which centered on whether Azerbaijan was willing to recognise Armenia's territorial integrity in return. This consideration, according to Pashinyan, was essential in shaping Armenia’s security strategy moving forward. He noted that, in seeking mutual recognition of territorial integrity, Armenia was guided by the Almaty Declaration, under which both countries were expected to respect each other's territorial boundaries.

The prime minister concluded that Armenia must consistently apply the same principles in its recognition of territorial integrity, both for itself and in its relations with other countries.

By Sabina Mammadli