Mirzoyan points out need for CSTO to fulfill its contractual  obligations and properly assess situation on Armenian border

ArmInfo.As part of the meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place on June 20 in Minsk, the heads of foreign departments of the CSTO member countries met with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

According to the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, during this meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan presented the latest developments in the region, in particular, on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Recalling once again  ongoing occupation by Azerbaijan the sovereign territory of a member state of the CSTO Armenia, Mirzoyan referred to the ongoing aggressive actions of Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia and its internationally recognized borders, the shelling of Armenian positions and civilian facilities on the border with Armenia in recent days, emphasizing their destabilizing influence to stability and security in the region. In this context, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the need for a targeted response from the CSTO.

The Armenian Foreign Minister also touched upon the tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, including Azerbaijan's provocations in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces, the June 15 incident near the Hakari Bridge, as well as the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, which has been ongoing for more than six months. In this regard, he drew attention to the resulting humanitarian problems and the growing danger of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan.

Minister Mirzoyan stressed that these actions of Azerbaijan are aimed at preventing not only the efforts of Armenia, but also of all parties interested in ensuring stability in the South Caucasus.

Presenting the vision of the Armenian side aimed at establishing long-term peace in the region, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the importance of solving existing problems through constructive dialogue. In this regard, he also touched upon the issue of security and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan then took part in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CSTO in narrow and expanded formats. The participants discussed the issues on the agenda of the meeting, including touched upon the activities of the CSTO and regional processes.  During the narrow-format meeting, Mirzoyan noted that against the background of the unstable situation in the South Caucasus, the need for the unconditional fulfillment by the Organization of its contractual obligations, a due assessment by the CSTO of rude violation of the borders of the Republic of Armenia.  Following the meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministry Council, political statements were adopted on topical issues on the international agenda, and a package of organizational documents aimed at improving the efficiency of the CSTO was approved.