In Response to Every Provocation, We Should Not Turn to CSTO: Seyran Ohanyan

In the event of military operations around a single position, when we can resolve military issues with the strength of even one unit, we should not turn to the CSTO for each clash or provocation from the enemy, every detail. This was stated by former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan during the 'Question of the Country' program on 'Yerkir Media' TV.

‘When Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev states that if we meet face to face with Armenia, then you will see... he does not understand or forgets that even the Defense Army of Artsakh fought face to face and alone against their state and won. He forgets that even during the years of the war of liberation, Azerbaijan was using outside forces, bringing mercenaries from Turkey, Afghanistan, and other countries. He forgets that during operations around a single position, the Turkish Minister of Defense declared full support for Azerbaijan. Any international organization, including the CSTO, must have complete information to make a condemning statement about who fired and when. Armenia and Artsakh have always proposed creating mechanisms for trust, with the possibility of verification, to clarify this issue. The agreements in Vienna and St. Petersburg were aimed at this purpose. However, Azerbaijan has consistently refused. During my tenure, there were instances when I ordered not to fire for a month, which was taken as a sign of weakness, and we had to resort to punitive actions, but we prepared and provided comprehensive packages regarding Azerbaijan's fire and violations to international organizations,’ said Seyran Ohanyan.