Political analysts explain aims of CSTO Secretary General's visit to Armenia

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) prepares ground for placing peacemakers in the Karabakh and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zones, and seeks to keep Armenia from turning to international structures, political analysts said after the visit of the CSTO's Secretary General to Yerevan. For the first time, Armenian authorities have openly criticized the CSTO for its inefficiency, Armen Vardanyan, a political analyst, has noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after the hostilities in the fall of 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces and the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh have essentially lost their combat efficiency. Now, only Russian peacemakers prevent Azerbaijan from taking control over the entire Karabakh, but it is more profitable for the Armenian party in conflict to attract peacemakers of the United Nations (UN) or the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to the region, political analysts believe.

Stanislav Zas, the CSTO Secretary General, has visited Armenia amid the aggravation of Russian-NATO relations, Andrias Gukasyan, a political scientist, has suggested, noting that in its June 14 declaration, the NATO recognized Russia as an aggressive country and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as a refusal to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The CSTO Secretary General's rhetoric regarding the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has changed, Mr Gukasyan has noted.

"Obviously, Russia now needs Armenia to be able to defend its borders, since such situation will force Azerbaijan to take a soft position on the issue of a peacemaking mandate. The changed rhetoric is a message to Azerbaijani authorities," Andrias Gukasyan has suggested.

According to Naira Airumyan, a political observer, Russia is worried about Armenia's possible appeal to the UN Security Council and the resumption of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.