Along with creation of the Eurasian Union, Russia takes steps towards establishing control over military institutions of the former Soviet Union countries, stated CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha two days ago, adding that the member states of the organization agreed that the management of military units operating within CSTO staff will be exercised by the Russian Armed Forces operative strategic command.
CSTO Secretary General has also informed that the military exercises of peacekeeping forces of the organization recently accomplished in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region showed that the military units are ready to carry out peacekeeping missions. It also became known that in the near future CSTO is going to appeal to the United Nations to be registered in the appropriate register, after which when the decision of the heads of the CSTO member states is available, as well as the UN Security Council authorization, CSTO peacekeeping forces can be sent to different “hotbeds.”
Bordyuzha was asked whether it is possible that the CSTO peacekeeping forces are deployed in Karabakh and Transdniestria, “Such a question was not put to us. Russian peacekeepers are in Transdniestria, and they successfully solve their assignments. Concerning to Karabakh, you know, there is a special status here, and the consent of both states is required for decision-making. However, the question of sending CSTO peacekeeping forces to any “hotbed” has never been raised. Perhaps it is because our peacekeepers appeared a few years ago, but still such questions were not yet given to us,” said the CSTO Secretary General.
As we can see, the CSTO Secretary General does not rule out of the possibility of deployment of the CSTO peacekeepers in Karabakh, moreover, he apparently ratifies that such question has not been raised yet… Well, if raised, why not, appeared just a few years ago, but already proven of their readiness, the military units, of course, may exercise required peacekeeping missions.
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In general, in the former Soviet republics, Russia’s latest “aspirations” in our region are displayed in all directions: starting from political, economic up to military.
For Armenia, everything proceeds much lighter and easier since Serzh Sargsyan’s statement on September 3 in Moscow. As they say, the important thing is establishing and ensuring the proper atmosphere. The atmosphere, of course, has always been in us, and now there is neither shortage of propaganda, nor the players in this direction.
More letters of several intellectuals addressed to Russian people and RF authorities, and, surely, a ground can be prepared for deployment of CSTO peacekeeping forces in Karabakh. No matter how brutal it may sound to say, perhaps, official Baku can resist and insist on its demands to this matter.
But the requests from the Armenian side can be demonstrated not only with the letters of intelligentsia… Recently, a remarkable assessment was voiced from the authorities of Nagorno-
Karabakh regarding the idea of joining the Customs Union: “Karabakh can not join the Customs Union, taking into account the status of not being recognized. If we are invited, it would be another matter. We would have held discussions, consultations and would make a decision on whether to enter into the Customs Union or not,” said the President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan.
Could Serzh Sargsyan and Bako Sahakyan counteract the new aspirations of Moscow, if “necessary”, if it comes, for example, the deployment of CSTO peacekeeping forces in Karabakh?… After all, it is not a secret to anyone that just this scenario could be the most unacceptable and the most undesirable option for Russia…
So, the intense anti-Russian campaign in Armenia against initialing the EU Association Agreement, Serge Sargsyan’s statement on joining the Customs Union, Zori Balayan’s letter, the whole chain, perhaps, is linked, and we at this stage are becoming witnesses of disclosure of the rings of this chain…
Emma GABRIELYAN
