ArmInfo.The military-political situation in the South Caucasus is characterized by a high potential for confliction. Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan stated this on September 4 during a joint meeting of the heads of the military departments of the SCO, CIS and CSTO member states, referring to the challenges to regional security.
"We all note with great concern the recent escalation of tension in interstate relations, the degradation of the architecture of international security, a noticeable expansion of conflict zones due to the aggravation of intrastate crises, primarily on ethnic and confessional grounds.
At the same time, our world has become more interconnected; any instability in a particular region is fraught with negative consequences throughout the world. In other words, in modern conditions, regional security cannot be ensured "autonomously", outside the framework of the existing global security system. The aggravation of any regional problems has a direct impact on international security as a whole. This applies not only to military-political issues, but also to the pandemic, which, as the experience of most countries has shown, has grown into a general security problem, "the Armenian Minister said.
At the same time, he stated that the main task of the international community is to build a stable world based on preventing the creation of new hotbeds of instability by imposing regional geopolitical ambitions using a full range of destructive approaches, fueled by expansionist ideology. At the same time, he expressed the conviction that this is possible only under the condition of conscientious and unswerving observance by all parties of their international obligations, as well as strengthening collective principles, primarily UN mechanisms.
"We proceed from the fact that strict adherence to the norms and principles of international law plays a key role in preventing conflicts. The basis for resolving existing disputes and disagreements between states should be exclusively peaceful negotiations based on the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
The Republic of Armenia has always advocated the equal application of the norms of international law, the right to free choice, reasonable globalization, and the architecture of international security, which is based on abstaining from " the position of strength" policies, maximalist approaches, hate rhetoric, and belligerent statements.
To my great regret, I have to admit that the military-political situation in the South Caucasus is characterized by a high potential for confliction. Recently, there has been an exacerbation of contradictions in the region, which, in our assessment, is a consequence of the expansion of ambitions of certain countries. The military-political events dynamically developing in our region can be characterized as a conflict of geopolitical interests, the key factor of which is the absence of a common vision of security, as well as the absence of risk reduction mechanisms. Regional conflicts have no military solution, and neither military rhetoric nor attempts to involve new states in these conflicts, with the subsequent aggravation of the situation in the region, is unacceptable for Armenia. In particular, after each incident that is a direct continuation of the intensifying militant rhetoric, the forces conducting the latter are convinced again that this approach is not effective and does not lead to the desired result. The Russian presence in the region, as well as the deepening of military-political cooperation between Armenia and Russia are the most important deterrent factor contributing to the preservation of regional stability and security, "he said.
At the same time, Tonoyan recalled that the sector of strategic interests of the Republic of Armenia includes not only the Caucasus region, but the entire area of responsibility of the CSTO, as well as the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. According to the Minister, based on this, Armenia is interested in maintaining peace and stability in the listed regions.
"The fight against terrorism remains one of the highest priority tasks. Highly appreciating the role of the Russian Federation in the fight against international terrorism in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Armenia joined the process of providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people and restoring the country's infrastructure.
The Republic of Armenia intends to continue to make its feasible contribution to the UN-sanctioned undertakings of various formats, carried out in different geographic, climatic, ethno-confessional and operational environments. For this we are ready to use all the potential we have. In conclusion of my speech, I would like to note that in the current conditions, the issue of further deepening and expanding multilateral defense cooperation, and primarily within the framework of the Organizations of which our states are members: the CIS, SCO and the CSTO, is of particular importance.
This will allow us to consolidate responsible and consistent collective efforts to prevent the threat of the outbreak of wars and armed conflicts, as well as to ensure international and regional security, "the head of the Armenian defense department concluded.