MOSCOW, Aug 2 deployment of an observation mission on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the organization is waiting for Yerevan's response, Director of the First Department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikael Aghasandyan said in an interview.
«The states that form the CSTO have never withdrawn themselves from efforts to help stabilize the situation in the region and have repeatedly confirmed their readiness to come up with concrete solutions that would allow our Armenian friends to use the wide possibilities of the organization with maximum benefit. We still expect a positive response from Yerevan and are ready to resume substantive work on the proposal to deploy a CSTO monitoring mission in the border regions of Armenia, as well as other joint measures to help our ally,» he said.
The diplomat stressed that Moscow is convinced that «the adoption of appropriate decisions will have a positive impact on the overall regional situation.»
«I'll emphasize once again: we are ready for such constructive work,» he noted.
At the same time, Aghasandyan expressed hope that Yerevan understands that Western countries are trying to exert political and economic pressure on Russia's closest allies, including Armenia, in order to «cause maximum damage to Russia and its positions in the South Caucasus.»
«In order to achieve this task, they are trying to undermine the existing mechanisms of regional security, including those based on the capabilities of the CSTO. We hope that this is well understood in Yerevan,» the diplomat explained.
He noted that the CSTO, like any other international organization, is «not a magic wand» by which any problems are solved.»
«The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the most complex, it has deep historical roots. The only way to a sustainable settlement lies through the consistent normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations on the basis of negotiations, mutual respect of the parties, their willingness to compromise, make responsible decisions and implement them In this context, I cannot fail to note the key mediating role played in this difficult process by Russia and President Vladimir Putin personally,» Aghasandyan said.
In April, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Yerevan's readiness to deploy a CSTO mission in the country on the border with Azerbaijan. Before that, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Yerevan did not refuse the CSTO mission on the borders of the republic. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Moscow is waiting for steps from Yerevan to work out the issue of the CSTO mission in Armenia.
At the same time, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said earlier that membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) creates «certain problems» for Yerevan, but they do not limit cooperation with other countries.
The CSTO includes six states — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. At the end of May, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted the importance of the participation of the Armenian side in joint operational and combat training activities within the framework of the CSTO. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, speaking about the prospects for Armenia's participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said that the Russian Federation would continue the dialogue with Armenian friends, including the CSTO.