Home EurAsian Region

Armenia Determined To Strengthen CSTO To Combat Terrorism: Armenian FM

Armenia is determined to continue strengthening the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) and intensify efforts to combat modern challenges and threats. Armenian commitment to CSTO was announced by Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyanon November 8 in Astana.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is an intergovernmental military alliance that was signed on 15 May 1992 between six post-Soviet states – Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Three other nations Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia signed the treaty next year, while five years later, six of the nine except Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan agreed to renew the treaty for five more years. In 2002 those six agreed to create the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as a military alliance. Uzbekistan rejoined the CSTO in 2006 but withdrew in 2012.

Armenian Stance on CSTO

Armenia attaches great importance to comprehensive and joint efforts to counter international terrorism and radicalism, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyanon said.

Mnatsakanyanon laid special attention to the threats posed by the repatriation of those radicals who are involved with global terrorist groups. It was noted that this issue is a serious threat to international security, and one must be prepared to take appropriate actions to counter the looming threats.

The Armenian Foreign Minister also expressed concern about the situation in the Middle East, especially Syria, as well as about the challenges faced by the ethnic and religious minorities in the region.

The Armenian Minister urged to increase the peacekeeping component of the CSTO and take steps to strengthen cooperation with the UN.

Regarding the Karabakh conflict, Mnatsakanyan stated that the new government of Armenia has repeatedly confirmed its commitment to an exclusively peaceful settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

At the same time, he called the critical meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the CIS summit in Dushanbe, recalling that in the course of it they managed to reach agreements, the implementation of which will contribute to the formation of an atmosphere conducive to peace.

Mnatsakanyan also called for paying attention to the importance of rejecting militaristic rhetoric, stating that this approach only leads hatred and mistrust in the region.

More News at EurAsian Times

Exit mobile version