Why did CSTO decide to wash hands off Karabakh?

 May 23, 2011 - 20:42 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The statements made during Yerevan-hosted conference titled “CSTO and South Caucasus: Regional Peace and Security Perspectives” were a clear message for Azerbaijan. Should Azerbaijan start a new war, Armenia will have to participate in it, as a guarantor of Artsakh safety.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said in his address to the conference that Armenia, as a full member of CSTO, has the right to expect support of its CSTO allies in case of Azerbaijan’s aggression. Under the CSTO, any aggression against a CSTO member state is viewed as an aggression against all member states.

Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolai Bordyuzha reiterated that Armenia, as a member of CSTO, has shouldered certain obligations, but the other members of CSTO also have obligations towards Armenia.

Asked how CSTO will behave in case of possible escalation in the region, Bordyuzha decided not to make hasty statements, noting that the Armenian and Russian Presidents do their utmost “to solve this complicate problem peacefully and reach an agreement with all the states involved in the Karabakh conflict.” In other words, they try to prevent a war, which is so desirable for and continuously promised by Azerbaijan. At the same time, Bordyuzha warned that regular violations of ceasefire may provoke a conflict, which is extremely undesirable for CSTO.

Obviously, CSTO, decided to back out in fear of hasty statements. Experts in CSTO member states, who, obviously, express their authorities’ views, made statements clearly implying that Armenia and Karabakh have no reason to expect CSTO support.

CSTO had another surprise to offer: according to Vesti.Az report, CSTO press-secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov was unaware of either Bordyuzha’s or Ohanyan’s statements. As he noted, “at Yerevan-hosted conference, Seyran Ohanyan expressed Armenia’s support for peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict and hopes for CSTO understanding. Our organisation opposes usage of force in resolving Karabakh issue, with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha reiterating his position.”

Thus, it became clear that all the statements suggesting alliance between CSTO member states were mere words, which may be instantly forgotten for the sake of own interests. However, Armenia is capable of guaranteeing both its own and Artsakh’s safety without OSCE assistance. Moreover, Armenia is ready for victories, while Azerbaijan, aptly manipulating CSTO, an organization to which it’s not even affiliated, may lose some of the territories presented by Soviet rule in 1921, in addition to Karabakh, which never belonged to it.