CSTO - organisation bringing together countries concerned about own security Russian official says

Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has stated that she had not seen any statements from Azerbaijani officials suggesting that the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) poses a threat to Azerbaijan's security. 

“As opposed to NATO, the CSTO is not directed against any particular country, and comments made by Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev do not pertain to the organisation,” Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Earlier, Hajiyev had remarked that "neutrality would be the best solution for Armenia, rather than military alliances that threaten Azerbaijan's security."

"The CSTO is not a military bloc; it is an organisation that brings together countries concerned about their own security. There is not a single word in its founding documents or in its history that indicates this structure is directed against anyone," she stated.

Zakharova noted that the focus is on cooperation or military alliances that the West aims to involve both Armenia and Azerbaijan in.

She emphasised that under the guise of good intentions, the EU representatives are engaged in intelligence gathering against Azerbaijan, Iran, Türkiye, and Russia.

By Naila Huseynova