ArmInfo. Despite the existence of a number of examples of ensuring the security of even the most economically developed states by foreign military forces, in general, the inability of the state to protect its citizens by its own forces is an extremely negative phenomenon. Politician Suren Sahakyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"Moreover, in some cases it casts doubt, calls into question on the very expediency of the further existence of such states", he stressed. In the case of a concrete prospect for the deployment of Russian military on the border of Armenia with an excessively belligerent Azerbaijan, the whole issue will be based on the degree of reliability of the relationship between the side that will protect and the side that will be protected, "he stressed.
In this light, drawing historical parallels, Sahakyan noted with regret that the past of the Armenian-Russian relations does not inspire much optimism. And with the emergence of the Russian Empire in the South Caucasus, geopolitical bargaining between it and its competitors continues to this day, in which the interests of Armenia and the Armenian people more often become the subject of bargaining.
In this light, the politician sees the need to take into account all the above-mentioned circumstances before making decisions on the deployment of Russian troops on the border with Azerbaijan. Sahakyan also reminded that to this day the relations in the region are regulated by the anti-Armenian treaties concluded in the last century in Kars and Moscow. In this context, in his opinion, the main issue that predetermines the advisability of deploying an additional Russian contingent in Armenia is whether they will restrain Turkish expansionism, Armenian revanchism or something else.
According to him, the CSTO is incapable of acting as an organization that ensures the inviolability of the borders of Armenia. Since the organization was originally established solely for the purpose of regulating the military-political relations of Russia with some post-Soviet countries. In parallel, the CSTO, according to Sahakyan, is a very real mechanism to prevent Azerbaijan from joining other military-political blocs. In this light, he does not expect any special preferences or changes in the geopolitical situation from the next chairmanship of Armenia in the CSTO.
In the light of the latest statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs around the situation on the internationally recognized border of Armenia, Sahakyan noted that the MG is the only internationally mandated body for the settlement of the conflict around Artsakh. Therefore, in his opinion, with such a statement, the co-chairs, in fact, link it with the realities taking place within the framework of their own mandate.
"In other words, the co-chairs emphasize the fact of Azerbaijani blackmail by heating up the situation on the border in order to knock out concessions from Armenia on the Artsakh issue. It is clear that the statements of the international community in general, and the OSCE MG co-chairs, in particular, were not to Baku's liking, to put it mildly. And I think that the international community has enough opportunities to bring Aliyev to the negotiating table. In the direction of determining the status of Artsakh, " the politician emphasized.