CSTO secretary general’s statement on Karabakh conflict goes beyond organization’s mandate

“The CSTO secretary general, abusing his official powers, made a statement on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which goes beyond the mandate of the organization. The statement of the secretary general, who is a citizen of Armenia, is subjective and biased, and, except for Armenia, contradicts the position of the member states of the organization on this conflict,” the ministry noted.

It also pointed out that the CSTO secretary general conceals the fact of constant shelling of the territory of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of Armenia along the borders of both countries, including civilians and objects.

“We recommend to the secretary general, who speaks of the harmfulness of militant rhetoric, to learn about the absurd and contradictory statements of the prime minister of Armenia, which serve to aggravate and undermine the negotiation process,” the foreign ministry stated.

It also noted that the cause of tension on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops and along the ArmenianAzerbaijani border is the continuation of the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories and the illegal presence of Armenian troops in the territories it occupied.

“We would like to remind the CSTO secretary general that in accordance with the first point of the Collective Security Treaty, updated on December 10, 2010, which constitutes the international legal basis of the CSTO, the member states reaffirmed their commitment to nonuse of force or the avoidance of the threat of use of force in interstate relations,” the Azerbaijani foreign ministry pointed out.

It further noted that the military aggression and occupation policy of Armenia, the CSTO member state, against Azerbaijan also contradicts the legal documents that form the basis of the organization.

“If the CSTO secretary general is really interested in eliminating the tension, he should demand to withdraw the troops of the member state Armenia from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” the foreign ministry stressed.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day.