Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty signed in 1992 specifically defines, “If an aggression (military attack threatening country’s security, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) is committed against any state of the State’s Parties, all the other States Parties, at the request of the country, will render it necessary assistance, including military one.” A question arises as to whether the CSTO should intervene in the tension registered in recent days in the Contact line.
Political scientist, Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan
Political scientist, Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan, in the conversation with Aravot.am, pointed out the fact that according to the Treaty, Armenia should alone apply to CSTO partners and demand intervention and commented, “As of this moment, Armenia is still not ready and does not want to ask for any intervention or assistance in this matter and tries to resolve the issue through negotiation process. Anyway, Armenia was the first to state about the meeting in Sochi. It is obvious that we would try resolving the issue in Sochi. But if it fails, it is one of the arsenal tools that will be used as necessary.”
The political scientist has no hope from the CSTO member countries and believes that the CSTO member countries are reluctant, and “if they will be intervening, it would be at our request or in the conditions of being compelled.” To our observation that at least Armenia should demand an estimate from CSTO for the actions by Azerbaijan on the Contact line, Mr. Melik-Shahnazaryan responded as follows, “We need to demand an estimate. It should be first and foremost generated from our diplomatic interests. Our diplomatic apparatus should have done everything that the confederate states had tried to prevent such actions by Azerbaijan with their deeds, words and actions. Unfortunately, there is a flaw here by our allies and our foreign ministry.”
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To our observation of whether the absence of the estimate by CSTO is not an evidence that the subversion and military operations in the Contact line, at some point, were also provoked by Russia, the political scientist responded as follows, “I would not say they were provoked by any country, especially Russia. Destabilization in Russia’s adjacent region in the event when there is a Ukrainian problem, it can have the most unexpected developments for Russia. Unless there are clear facts of who provokes and who does not, I would leave this question unanswered. But Russia, in its turn, had issued a statement, unfortunately, earlier than Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, in which it has condemned the tense border situation and called on the parties to return to a constructive dialogue.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
