Alen Simonyan to Russian Official: "Collective Security Treaty Organization Did Not Respond Effectively to Azerbaijan's Actions Along Border"
On October 10, at a meeting in Moscow with Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, stated that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) did not respond effectively and promptly to Azerbaijan's actions on the border.
The large-scale escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border last month became one of the key issues of discussions with the participation of Russian and Armenian parliamentarians. "Our visit to Moscow is taking place in a difficult period for Armenia. As is known, on September 13, Azerbaijan began a new round of aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces intensively shelled the positions of the Armenian Armed Forces and civilian infrastructure facilities deep in the territory of Armenia. We have 207 dead and wounded," Simonyan said during the meeting. He called Azerbaijan's "large-scale attack" on the internationally recognized sovereign territory of Armenia "a dangerous trend of Azerbaijan's aggressive goals in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] space." "Armenia does not have time for long-term security solutions," the chairman of the legislature stressed.
At the same time, Simonyan expressed hope that the proposals developed during the work of the CSTO on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border would contribute to the de-escalation of the situation and the establishment of stability in the region. The Speaker of the National Assembly stated that the Armenian-Russian allied cooperation is based on the historical friendship between the two nations.
At the meeting, it was noted that the key to the continuous development of bilateral ties is an active political dialogue at all levels, in particular between the leaders of the countries. The parties stressed the vital role of parliamentary interaction in the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. Mutual understanding was reached that joint work should be continued systematically, with a clear vector for developing a strategic partnership.
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