Armenian Security Council Sec on relations with Iran, CSTO,  Azerbaijan 

ArmInfo.Armenian-Iranian economic relations are developing intensively, and if in 2021 the trade turnover  amounted to $350 million, then this year there is a possibility of reaching a trade turnover of up to $1 billion. And in this sense, economic relations acquire the meaning of security, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan stated in an interview with Armenia's Public TV. 

According to Grigoryan, based on the above, Yerevan and Tehran are  discussing economic cooperation in the context of security relations.

When asked if there are specific projects, Grigoryan replied that  they are different, for example, an Iranian company won a tender for  the construction of the North-South road. "You know how important the  North- South direction is for Armenia, because it is of great  importance in the context of infrastructure development, as well as  the Crossroads of the World project, and this is the reason why we  are also discussing economics as a tool that contributes to  security," he said.

Cooperation with CSTO and current problems in relations 

Regarding Armenia's non-participation in the work of the CSTO  statutory bodies, including the upcoming meeting of the CSTO  Collective Security Council at the level of heads of state in Minsk,  and clarifying that if Yerevan boycotts the work of the Organization,  then why not leave it, Grigoryan recalled that Armenia did not  receive the necessary assistance from the Organization to protect its  sovereign territories.  "Armenia, since the post-war period of 2020,  when the CSTO said that Nagorno-Karabakh is not a sovereign part of  the Republic of Armenia, they cannot deal with these issues. But  since May 2021, when Azerbaijani troops invaded the sovereign  territory of the Republic of Armenia, we turned to the CSTO, and from  that moment until September last year, when Azerbaijan attacked  Armenia again and we asked for help, we did not receive the necessary  help to protect our sovereign territory."Armenia since the post-war  period in 2020, when the CSTO said that Nagorno-Karabakh is not a  sovereign part of the Republic of Armenia, they cannot deal with  these issues. But from May 2021, when Azerbaijani troops invaded the  sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, we turned to the  CSTO, and from that moment until September last year, when Azerbaijan  again attacked Armenia and we asked for help, we did not receive the  necessary help to protect our sovereign territory.

Starting from here, we have numerous questions for the CSTO, we still  do not have answers to these questions. And this is also the reason  why we do not participate in the meeting of the CSTO Collective  Security Council," he said.

When asked whether we receive answers to the questions that concern  us without participating in the meetings, Grigoryan said that by  participating in the meetings we definitely do not receive answers.

The Secretary of the Security Council does not consider  non-participation in the meetings a demarche, but again noted that  there are answers to questions that have not been received. He also  added that the issue of leaving the CSTO is not on the agenda.

"We are waiting for answers to questions related to the CSTO; I don't  see any problem in the fact that we are not participating in any  event within the CSTO," he said.

When asked to clarify why Armenia does not leave the CSTO if it still  does not participate in its work, Grigoryan stated that the answer to  this question has already been answered. "We consider this the best  policy. By the way, Armenia's membership in the CSTO does not in any  way constrain us when building relations with other states, and since  there are no problems, we are not returning to this issue," he noted,  again repeating the incomprehensible formulation of the Armenian  authorities that "It is not Armenia that is leaving the CSTO, but the  CSTO is leaving Armenia."

Referring to the non-participation of Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan  in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, Grigoryan  suggested that these countries have their own explanations for this  step. "I don't know the reasons, for me it's strange and surprising,"  he added.

Armenia-Azerbaijan relations 

When asked by the moderator why Armenia refuses to go to Moscow for a  meeting with the Azerbaijani side and insists on a European platform,  the Secretary of the RA Security Council noted that Yerevan wants to  hold the meeting at the site where certain agreements were initially  reached. He recalled that Azerbaijan initially agreed to a meeting in  Brussels at the end of October, but then for some reason refused it.   However, he continued, Armenia is ready to hold a meeting at this  site and, if possible, sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by the end  of the year. "Armenia, for example, is ready to hold a meeting in  Washington to continue negotiations. And I hope that negotiations  will take place," he said, noting that the purpose of the visit of  the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group to the region is to  organize such a meeting in Washington.

To clarify why Armenia refuses a meeting in Moscow if Azerbaijan  agrees to the Russian platform, Grigoryan, in particular, said: "We  go where we consider important, where we see opportunities, where we  have received clear proposals."

To the remark that Russia's claims that Armenia is changing its  development vector are groundless, taking into account the fact that  Yerevan refuses to participate in events under the auspices of  Moscow, while at the same time strengthening relations with the EU,  France, India, and the UK , Grigoryan stated that, yes, the  accusations are groundless.

According to him, Armenia, as it turned out, has many opportunities,  and it is using them, diversifying its security and economy. "An  alternative is one of the fundamental pillars of statehood. And we  are looking for alternatives, and not only in the West," he sated.