Korotchenko: Armenia shouldn’t count on CSTO support

Armenia shouldn’t count on the support of the CSTO members in its adventures and provocations against Azerbaijan, Russian military expert, editor-in-chief of the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine Igor Korotchenko told the Russian bureau of Report in anticipation of the CSTO summit in Yerevan.

“The CSTO countries will not pull chestnuts out of the fire for Yerevan. Armenia cannot count on the support of the CSTO in its adventurous and military provocations against Azerbaijan. There have been many such attempts before. However, we remember that, thanks to the clear position of almost all members of the organization without exception, such Yerevan’s actions were rejected,” the expert said.

According to Korotchenko, at the last extraordinary meeting of the organization in video format, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko firmly put Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his place, saying that any problems between Yerevan and Baku should be resolved at the negotiating table through Russia’s mediation.

Azerbaijan is considered by the CSTO countries as a friendly and allied state, and its President Ilham Aliyev is an authoritative and respected leader, Korotchenko noted, so the organization is ready to contribute to the discussion of issues and the search for solutions, rather than confrontation on the side of Armenia.

“I think that at the summit to be held in Yerevan, the Armenian leadership will still try to somehow distort the situation and blame Azerbaijan. However, it is clear that it is Armenia that is the aggressor and is ‘dragging’ the EU, France, the US into the South Caucasus region, hoping to change the format of observation missions to a full-fledged, NATO military contingent. If Pashinyan tries to attack Azerbaijan from the CSTO platform, he will again be firmly put in his place,” Korotchenko added.