What Happened in Yerevan: a Statement from the CSTO Secretary General After a Period of Silence

The newspaper 'Zhoghovurd' reports: 'Armenian-Azerbaijani border clashes pose a threat not only to Armenia but to the entire CSTO. In a conversation with journalists, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas made this harsh statement while also avoiding directly blaming Azerbaijan for violating Armenia's borders and shelling the area since May 12. It is noteworthy that since that date, no targeted statement from Zas has been heard, and the organization has effectively shown inaction, even avoiding a critical statement against Azerbaijan. In this context, it is remarkable that he received significant criticism in Yerevan.

Specifically, he was openly criticized by Armenian Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan: 'We were waiting for your visit back in May. That was a particularly tense period for Armenia, but unfortunately, your visit did not take place. Today, a stable and severe situation has formed at our borders. In May, Azerbaijani armed forces invaded Armenian territory in two directions. This greatly concerns us. We are proponents of peace. We do not want to escalate the situation at our borders under any circumstances. At the same time, we are not ready to accept actions that could lead to violations of Armenia's state border. We are determined to defend our territories,' noted Karapetyan.

It is also interesting to point out that in recent days, after his visit to Moscow on July 27, Karapetyan's rhetoric has intensified. Furthermore, he rushed back to Moscow again after meeting with Zas. Nevertheless, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas, who a few days ago limited his comments to extremely neutral qualifications, has now attempted to make some statements, at least acknowledging that the incidents occurring at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border pose a threat to the security of CSTO member Armenia.

Russian political scientist Alexander Skakov also drew attention in a conversation with 'Zhoghovurd' to the fact that the Armenian side coordinates every step with the Russian side. 'We see that the CSTO is trying to respond and is awaiting the start of the political process. It is clear that Armenia is trying to involve both Russia and the CSTO, as well as potentially other countries, in strengthening its security. I believe that further developments may occur in the near future,' he noted.

Read the full article in today's issue of the newspaper.