Tuesday, September 24 2019 10:44

ArmInfo. In my memory, Baku has never officially raised the issue of its membership in the CSTO, preferring to develop relations with the countries it needs outside  any integration organizations. Ambassador Extraordinary and  Plenipotentiary, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Arman  Navasardyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.

"Within the framework of this logic, Azerbaijan has quite developed  relations with Russia. It similarly develops them with other  countries, regardless of whether they are in the West, East, North or  South. That is, it does what Armenia cannot afford itself." he noted.

According to the diplomat, Azerbaijan cannot become a partner or  observer in the CSTO, even if there is such a desire. First of all,  due to veto right given to Armenia according to the charter of the  CSTO.  According to Navasardyan, a violation of the charter is not  possible, but if it does happen, Armenia will simply have to stop  membership in this organization.

Moreover, according to Navasardyan, Moscow itself cannot be delighted  with such a prospect, given that the appearance of Azerbaijan in the  CSTO will mean a serious activation of the Turkic wing of this  organization. And this scenario obviously does not proceed from the  interests of Russia.  In this light, the diplomat noted with regret  that Yerevan does not manage to draw the attention of the CSTO  leadership to what is happening in the Azerbaijani exclave of  Nakhijevan. In particular, military exercises on the border with  Armenia and an increasing number of Turks in this territory.  Meanwhile, according to his estimates, such a state of affairs poses  a threat to the entire south of Russia.

According to him, Yerevan should take all possible steps towards  neutralizing the military threat emanating from Baku. The diplomat  sees the upcoming opening of the Armenian embassy in Israel primarily  as an opportunity to use the Armenian factor in Israel's relations  with Iran, Turkey and Syria. As well as work in the direction of  leveling the military cooperation of Jerusalem-Baku. An opportunity,  which Armenia, in his opinion, has neglected for the past 3 decades.