The leadership of Artsakh on Friday praised the position adopted on Thursday by the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which during a summit in Minsk, the Belarus capital, reiterated the organization’s backing of the Karabakh conflict resolution process spearheaded by the OSCE Minsk Group, as well as the CSTO’s support of the three key principles guiding the effort, among them the Artsakh citizens’ right to self-determination
“This is a very important statement given the fact that recently several countries, such as Turkey, are indirectly trying to undermine the OSCE Minsk Group format,” said Artsakh presidential spokesperson David Babayan, who was referring to recent statements made by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who expressed his support to the Minsk Group co-chairman, while strongly advocating for a resolution to the Karabakh conflict that would only benefit Azerbaijan.
“We see what statements that country [Turkey] makes and its active involvement in the geopolitical processes in the Caucasus, namely the resolution of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict. These are very dangerous steps, which can lead to more complications. The latest statement of the heads of the CSTO member states, I think, is a response to Turkey’s behavior,” added Babayan in an interview with Panorama.am.
Babayan said that during a recent meeting between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office with the Turkish leadership in Ankara, Turkey was “shown the red line that it must not cross.”
“Such efforts by the international community in the person of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group are aimed at putting Turkey in its place to prevent the country from further complicating the situation,” added Babayan.
He further addressed Cavusoglu’s remarks about Ankara’s support for any resolution on the Karabakh conflict, which will satisfy Azerbaijan.
“The Azerbaijani president once again announced that Artsakh is allegedly their historical land, and Armenians were newcomers there. So what? Does Turkey accept that Armenians are newcomers? This is another basis for a new genocide,” Babayan highlighted.