Infiltration of Azerbaijani Armed Forces into Armenia's Sovereign Territory is an Immediate Threat to the Security of a CSTO Member State – Ayvazyan

On May 19, a meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministers Council was held in Dushanbe, first in a narrow format and then in an expanded one, led by acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan representing Armenia. This was reported by the Public Relations and Information Department of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Continuing from the discussions of the previous day, the acting Minister presented in detail the security situation in the Caucasus region within the framework of the CSTO, focusing on the escalation of tensions resulting from the infiltration of Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenia's bordering regions.

“The infiltration of Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenia's sovereign territory poses an immediate threat to the security, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of a CSTO member state, which is a challenge to the Organization's collective security system,” noted Acting Minister Ayvazyan.

The head of Armenia's foreign policy department informed his counterparts that the current situation calls for the response mechanism of the CSTO in emergency situations, which includes the formation of relevant multilateral missions for ongoing monitoring of the situation, assessing conditions on the ground, and developing proposals for further actions.

Addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Ara Ayvazyan emphasized that the use of force by Azerbaijan under no circumstances can lead to a resolution of the conflict; it must be settled exclusively through political-diplomatic means under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group and based on the uniform and comprehensive implementation of the principles established by that mediation mission.

Items on the agenda included issues related to the regional and international situation and its impact on the security of member states, cooperation between member states and international organizations, and actions to enhance the effectiveness of the organization.

As a result of the meeting, the Foreign Ministers adopted and approved several documents aimed at promoting cooperation between CSTO member states in various areas.

Prior to the start of the ministerial meeting, the heads of delegations from CSTO member states and the CSTO Secretary General held a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.