Yerevan sees no need for involvement of CSTO and Russia in countermeasures against Azeri aggression

YEREVAN, November 6. /ARKA/. Armenia sees no need for involving the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Russian Federation in countermeasures against Azerbaijan’s aggression, press secretary of Armenia’s ministry of defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in commenting the statement made by Azerbaijan’s defense minister Zakir Hasanov.

At his meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on November 4 Hasanov said Baku is waiting for an official response from Moscow to the statement made by the commander of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia Andrey Ruzinskiy. The latter, in his interview to “Kraznaya Zvezda” newspaper, said the base may enter into a military conflict, as per its contractual obligations under the CSTO, if Azerbaijan decides to restore its jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Azerbaijan’s minister of defense is probably not receiving sufficient information from his administration on the fourth article of the Collective Security Treaty  and the fifth protocol about the Russian Federation military base in Armenia signed in 2010”, the press secretary wrote on his Facebook page. 

“Yet, let me remind, the military and political leadership of the Republic of Armenia has repeatedly said it sees no necessity of involving the CSTO and the Russian Federation in counteracting Azeri aggression. The capacities of our Armed Forces are more than enough to solve any battle task”, Hovhannisyan said.

The 102nd Russian military base has been located Armenian Giumry city since 1995. The military base is part of a joint air defence system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). There are 5,000 Russian soldiers officially reported to be stationed at the 102nd Military Base.

In August 2010, the Russian-Armenian agreement about the military base signed in 1995 was extended for another 49 years (from 1995). –0--