IN MOSCOW, PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN PARTICIPATED AT THE SESSION OF THE CSTO COLLECTIVE SECURITY COUNCIL
19.12.2012
President Serzh Sargsyan, who is Russia on a working visit, today
in Moscow, participated at the session of the Collective Security
Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
At the meeting of the Heads of the CSTO member states, which was
first conducted in the narrow and then in the extended format with the
participation of the delegations, the Secretary-General of the CSTO
Nikolay Bordjuza presented information on the activities of the CSTO
and documents to be signed shortly. Afterwards, the participants of
the meeting along with other agenda items discussed also tendencies
in the international situation, means aimed at the improvement of the
collective security system, development of the CSTO military component
up to 2020, and issues related to the main directions of improvement
of the collective response system in the emergency situations.
At the meeting in the extended format, President Serzh Sargsyan in
his statement first expressed thanks to the President of the Russian
Federation Vladimir Putin for the excellent organization of the CSTO
session in Moscow, congratulated the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan
Nazarbaev with the successful completion of the chairmanship in this
anniversary year and his works aimed at the strengthening of the CSTO
and then wished success to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, which assumed
chairmanship of the CSTO, and its President.
According to the President of Armenia, experience related to the
cooperation among the countries in the framework of the CSTO shows
that the strategic choice made by these countries twenty years ago
was correct and justified. The Organization is developing consistently
its structure for the efficient response to the existing threats.
“This year, the efforts of the Organization have been focused on three
main directions: strengthening of the CSTO military potential, better
coordination in the area of foreign policy and expanded cooperation for
the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration.
In September, we conducted successfully the Cooperation-2012
military exercises in Armenia. The preliminary works and the
exercises themselves clearly showed the ability of our countries
to solve diverse and different problems, engaging military units,
detachments of military police, special and emergency situation forces.
During the exercises in Armenia, the International Committee of
Red Cross for the first time brought its full participation to the
military exercises conducted in the CSTO format. These exercises,
as well as the subsequent Frontier-2012 exercises and the Unbreakable
Brotherhood-2012 military exercises – the first joint exercises for the
CSTO peacekeeping contingent, have made a significant contribution
to the compatibility of our armed forces and enhancement of our
Organization’s development potential.
I would like to underscore in particular efforts of the Secretariat
which resulted in the signing of the Protocol with the UN Department
of Peacekeeping Operation. I am confident that participation of our
peacekeeping contingent in the major international missions will truly
become a threshold for their perfection. It will also significantly
raise the international repute of our Organization,” President Serzh
Sargsyan told the participants of the session.
The President of Armenia spoke also about regional issues and
challenges, explosive situation in the Middle East, and presented
positions of our country.
“Analysis of the situation in the vicinity of the CSTO zone of
responsibility inspires no optimism. It is about Afghanistan, the
rising tension around Iran, and situation in Syria. The ongoing armed
confrontation in that country is destabilizing the entire Middle
East region.
There is a large Armenian community in Syria. They are children and
grandchildren of those who had miraculously escaped the Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire. Tens of thousands of Armenians became indivisible
part of the Syrian society, bringing their input to the development
and strengthening of the country. Over six thousand Syrian Armenians
have already arrived to Armenia, and we anticipated the increase of
the influx. We will help the Syrian Armenians in Aleppo as well as
in Yerevan. Armenia maintains its position of the immediate ending of
the bloodshed and a peaceful resolution of all issues by the Syrians
themselves,” the President of Armenia said.
Serzh Sargsyan spoke also about relations with Iran, development of
economic cooperation in the framework of which several weeks ago the
parties launched the construction of a powerful hydropower station
on the Armenian-Iranian border.
Speaking about the challenges existing in the South Caucasus, the
President of Armenia underscored that Azerbaijan’s destructive position
on the resolution of the NK conflict remains the greatest challenge
to the regional security. “It is manifested in the reluctance or
inability of the Azerbaijani authorities to follow the logic of the
negotiation process, which is presented explicitly in the numerous
statements by the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states
– Russia, US and France. Even presumably reached agreements, such as
creation of the mechanism for the investigation of border incidents
and withdrawal of the snipers from the line of contact are being
torpedoed by official Baku.
We are confident that the only way to solve the existing conflicts is
through negotiations and that way has no alternatives. We depart from
the point that after the parties established ceasefire, which has been
maintained for the last 18 years, the resumption of military actions
and just the threat of resumption constitute a blatant violation of
the international norms and principles; it is the most shortsighted
route towards a new wave of violence, hatred, and bloodshed. Problems
are not solved that way, rather they become even more complex.
The Azeri propaganda brings up an entire generation in the atmosphere
of xenophobia and intolerance. My words are proved by the creation of
the image of a hero from a cowardly and paltry murderer who has been
extradited by the Hungarian authorities to Baku. He was immediately
pardoned, expeditiously awarded a new military rank and paid salary for
all years spent in the Hungarian prison. Thus, murder of an Armenian
officer is not a crime in Azerbaijan, and this is happening in the 21st
century, in the country which is a member to the UN Security Council.
Azerbaijan carries on with the bellicose policy. It instigates
the arms race in the region and broadcasts animosity. The Azeri
President is stating unequivocally that Armenians all over the world
are Azerbaijan’s enemies while Yerevan, which will be celebrating its
2800 anniversary very soon, is “ancient Azeri land”. He states that
violations of the ceasefire regime are normal, since the war is not
over yet, conveniently forgetting who asked for and first signed the
ceasefire agreement,” President Serzh Sargsyan said in his statement.
Serzh Sargsyan spoke also about the importance of the efforts aimed
at the coordination of the positions of the CSTO member states with
regard to the vital interests on the foreign policy issues, holding
consultations regarding those issues.
“To provide for the efficient and comprehensive activities of the
Organization, we need to maintain the fundamental principles which are
contained in our Minsk statement; it states that strategic relations in
the framework of the CSTO have priority over the contacts with other
countries which are not parties to the Treaty,” President Sargsyan
said at the extended meeting of the Heads of the CSTO member states.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan expressed thanks
to Nikolay Bordjuza for his efficient works as Secretary General of
the Organization and noted that his persistent efforts aimed at the
development of the CSTO and improvement of the works of the Secretariat
are visible to everyone and have undoubtedly yielded results. Serzh
Sargsyan stated that Armenia has endorsed the proposal of the Russian
side to extend authorities of Nikolay Bordjuza as Secretary General
of the CSTO.
In the framework of this working visit to the Russian Federation,
President Serzh Sargsyan tonight will meet with the Russian President
Vladimir Putin.