CSTO to react to Nagorno Karabakh escalation, military chief says

CSTO to react to Nagorno Karabakh escalation, military chief says

PanARMENIAN.Net - The post-Soviet security organization, CSTO, will react to any actions causing escalation of tension on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as in Nagorno Karabakh, the head of the organization said Friday, February 12, according to TASS.

"The Organization has been reacting to any actions of this kind that affect security in the region," Nikolai Borduzha said.

At the same time, he continued, the organization is not involved in the settlement of the conflict.

"We only monitor the situation, as it involves our ally - Armenia," the official said. "CSTO’s position is quite straight; all participating parties want to have the conflict politically settled."

"All countries are against escalation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the use of heavy weapons," he added.

On January 26, in a vote of 70-66, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) disapproved the anti-Armenian report “Escalation of violence in Nagorno Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan” prepared by British parliamentarian Robert Walter from the PACE Committee on Political Affairs.

Most speakers who took the floor during the discussions, cited the OSCE Minsk Group as the platform mandated to settle the conflict.

The Minsk Group earlier called on PACE to refrain from actions that might hinder the process of negotiations.

Prior to the PACE discussions on the report, the Co-chairs issued a statement, calling for a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “We understand that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) may consider resolutions on the conflict in the near future and remind PACE, and other regional and international organizations, that the Minsk Group remains the only accepted format for negotiations. We appreciate the interest paid by PACE members, but urge that steps not be taken which could undermine the Minsk Group’s OSCE mandate or complicate ongoing negotiations,” they noted.

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