ArmInfo.The CSTO considers premature the entry into the organization of new members, including Azerbaijan.
So, on February 27, during a round table on the topic "The role of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in ensuring security in the Caucasus region" in Yerevan, Igor Panarin, secretary of the Secretariat, responding to the question about the possibility of Azerbaijan joining the Collective Security Treaty Organization, assured that any discussion on the possibility of Azerbaijan's entry to the Collective Security Treaty Organization prematurely.
"If you look at the organization's regulatory documents, we have a number of requirements. In particular, there is a consensus rule. Therefore, I would not be in a hurry to assess which states can enter these procedural moments. This is a debatable issue," Panarin said, in this context he recalled that two of the six CSTO countries have not yet ratified documents suggesting the introduction of the institution of observers. In this regard, he urged to wait for the ratification of the document, and only then, if a country expresses a desire to work with the CSTO in observer status, it will be possible to speak on this topic in more detail.
"However, the organization is ready to consider any applications from states interested in peace and security in the Eurasian space, be it Azerbaijan or Mongolia," the representative of the CSTO Secretariat added. In turn, the Russian ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin agreed with Panarin's words about the need to ensure consensus when new members are accepted into the military alliance. Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador Igor Nazaruk stated that such manifestations could be considered as a positive step, given the existence of a common historical past within the USSR. "There were no territorial claims or conflicts in this large family, so many peoples lived peacefully side by side. That is why I believe that the trend in this direction would be right," Nazaruk concluded.
It should be noted that official Yerevan has repeatedly emphasized its negative attitude towards the prospects of Azerbaijan's entry into the CSTO. In Armenia, they emphasized that they would use the veto right in the event that Azerbaijan expresses a desire to join the CSTO or the Eurasian Economic Union.