ArmInfo. During the joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the CSTO Security Council Secretaries Committee, Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan and partners for the successful chairmanship in the Organization, expressing the assistance of the Armenian side to the upcoming Kyrgyz chairmanship.
As the Foreign Ministry's press service told ArmInfo, Mnatsakanyan, referring to the issues on the agenda of the meeting, confirmed Armenia's determination to continue strengthening the defense component of the CSTO member countries, as well as strengthening efforts to combat modern challenges and threats.
The Acting Foreign Minister stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to comprehensive and joint efforts to counter international terrorism and radicalism. He drew particular attention to the threats posed by the return to their homeland of persons involved in armed conflicts within international terrorist groups. It was noted that this issue is a serious threat to international security, and one must be prepared to take appropriate action to respond to these risks.
Mnatsakanyan also expressed concern about the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, as well as about the challenges faced by the ethnic and religious minority of the region as a result of the conflict.
At the same time, the Armenian Minister noted the importance of increasing the peacekeeping component of the CSTO and the steps to strengthen cooperation with the UN. Touching on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mnatsakanyan stated that the new government of Armenia has repeatedly confirmed its commitment to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. At the same time, he pointed out the importance of the meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan at the CIS summit in Dushanbe, recalling that in the course of it it was possible to reach agreements, the implementation of which will contribute to the formation of an appropriate atmosphere conducive to peace. At the same time, the Armenian diplomat noted that the issues of security and status of Artsakh will continue to be among the priorities of Armenia. He also stressed the importance of the involvement of Artsakh, with a decisive voice, in the process of peace negotiations.
At the same time, Mnatsakanyan noted the importance of rejecting militaristic rhetoric, stating that this leads to an increase in hatred and mistrust in the region. The Acting Armenian Foreign Minister also considers the arms race to be a serious concern, which is not conducive to resolving the conflict.