ArmInfo.The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) continues forming a monitoring mission to be deployed on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, CSTO Secretary Vladimir Zaitnetdinov reported on Tuesday.
According to him, after Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan applied to the CSTO, the Collective Security Council drafted a decision on "joint measures to assist Armenia."
"Beside supporting Yerevan in other ways," it implies dispatching a temporary CSTO monitoring mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The draft is "at an advanced stage, but the latest session of the CSTO Collective Security Council could not approve it."
"The work in going on. After the voting procedure, the draft will be submitted to the constituent bodies of the organization," Mr Zainetdinov said, without reporting any terms or figures.
Interestingly, the CSTO official made that statement after the EU Foreign Affairs Council on January 23 agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Thereafter, media outlets reported that Armenia is set to change its foreign policy orientation and seek a new security architecture.
After the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia on September 13 and 14, 2022, official Yerevan applied to Russia, CSTO and the U.N. Security Council. Yerevan stated that it expected the CSTO to make a targeted political assessment of the occupation of Armenia's territories.
On November 23, the CSTO Collective Security Council held a meeting in Yerevan to approve a decision on assistance to Armenia, but Armenia's premier refused to sign the draft Declaration on joint measures to assist Armenia.
"The absence of a clear political assessment of the situation by the CSTO may imply not only the CSTO refusing to honor its allied commitments, but could also be perceived by Azerbaijan as 'the green light' by the CSTO for further acts of aggression against Armenia," Mr Pashinyan said in his speech.