Anti-CSTO protest before the meeting

On November 23, several hundred demonstrators gathered on Freedom Square in Yerevan to condemn the start of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) meeting.

In response to the organization's inability to assist Armenia during its conflict with Azerbaijan, protesters requested Armenia leave the group.

CSTO Secretary General: "A decision on helping Armenia has been prepared"

On the same day, at a joint meeting of the Councils of Foreign Ministers, the Ministry of Defense, and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the member states of the organization in Yerevan, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas, stated that the draft decision on helping Armenia was agreed upon within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

"Tension remains on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The incoming information confirms that skirmishes take place almost daily," the administrative head of the CSTO stated. "Three sessions of the Collective Security Council in May, September, and October of this year were devoted to the discussion of threats. We agreed on a draft decision on joint measures to assist Armenia. Documents have been prepared based on the CSTO monitoring mission's conclusions and proposals," Zas added.

Pashinyan on the main failure of the Armenian chairmanship in the military-political bloc

On November 23, at the Collective Security Council (CSC) meeting of the CSTO in Yerevan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization did not deter Azerbaijan from aggression against the neighboring country.

According to the head of the Armenian government, until today, the CSTO member states have not been able to decide on the organization's reaction to the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan during the September escalation in the region. "The incident caused great damage to the image of the CSTO both inside and outside Armenia," Pashinyan noted, calling this the main failure of the Armenian chairmanship in the military-political bloc.

"I should also note our successful actions. I mean our reaction to the appeal of the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Tokayev, with a request to support the restoration of law and order in the country in January of this year. In this case, we resolved the issue overnight, which allowed Kazakhstan to avoid internal chaos," Pashinyan recalled.

Pashinyan announces his successor to Stanislav Zas as CSTO Secretary General

Pashinyan also announced that Stanislav Zas's successor as CSTO Secretary General would be the representative of Kazakhstan, Imangali Tasmagambetov.

"Stanislav Vasilyevich Zas is completing his three-year activity as CSTO Secretary General. I want to thank him for the conscientious work done," he added.

Imangali Tasmagambetov, the former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia (2017–2019), will take up the post of administrative head of the military-political bloc from January 1, 2023.

Putin expresses hope for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan

At a meeting of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO in Yerevan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia hopes to conclude a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Issues related to the efforts for a comprehensive Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement require further attention," the head of the Russian state noted, pointing out their undoubtedly acute nature. "In this regard, we positively assess the meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi [October 31] in the presence of your obedient servant. The talks that took place laid a solid foundation for future compromises on fundamental issues," Putin added.

According to him, it is important that the joint statement adopted following the Sochi meeting at the end of last month confirmed the commitment to the top-level trilateral agreements that were reached in 2020 and 2021, as well as the key role of the joint format of interaction in ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The Russian leader further noted that only by consistently implementing these agreements on the issues of border delimitation, unblocking transport communications, and solving humanitarian problems is it possible to achieve a stable normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We hope that this will eventually lead to the conclusion of a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku," the President of the Russian Federation emphasized.

Putin: "Not only achievements but also problems are visible in the CSTO"

Putin also stated that this year, the dynamics of CSTO's joint work in the organization have increased.

"Regular consultations are held during which coordinated positions are developed on political and military-strategic issues and topical issues on the regional and international agenda. The improvement of the collective rapid deployment and rapid response forces, collective aviation, and collective peacekeeping forces continues. Measures are being taken on an ongoing basis to maintain their combat readiness, improve the command-and-control system, and increase the training of military personnel," the head of the Russian state noted.

According to him, the effectiveness of these measures was confirmed by the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan in January, which prevented the seizure of power by extremists and helped stabilize the internal political situation in the republic. "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his gratitude for the support and support provided. And taking this opportunity, I once again congratulate him on his convincing victory in the elections and wish him success in implementing the large-scale plans for transformation in the country's political, social, and economic life," the Russian leader said.

Putin stated that Russia supports the important decision submitted for approval by the CSTO on equipping the organization's peacekeeping forces with modern weapons, military, and special equipment, as well as special means. "The decision that we have to make concerns today, among other things, the improvement of the CSTO communication system, the creation of a joint formation of radiation, chemical, biological, and medical protection, and the functioning of a unified system of technical cover for railways in the CSTO, which Russia, of course, supports. I will also mention that military-technical cooperation between the member states of our organization is expanding. The interstate military-economic commission of the CSTO, created on the initiative of Russia, actively participates in activities in this area. Joint operational measures are being taken through the line of special services and law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism and extremism, transnational crime, illegal migration, and drug trafficking, and to protect against natural and man-made emergencies," he added.

He stressed that not only achievements but also problems were visible. "Today my colleagues talked about this; today we will talk, I think without any cameras, about this in more detail. But still, it is obvious to us that joint work within the framework of the CSTO brings visible practical results and helps to protect the national interests, sovereignty, and independence of our countries," Putin summed up.

Pashinyan refuses to sign agreements

At a meeting of the Collective Security Council (CSC) of the CSTO in a narrow format, Nikol Pashinyan said that he is not ready to put his signature on documents related to the organization's assistance to Armenia. After he said this, Aleksandr Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, became angry, folding his hand. Pashinyan again repeated harshly that he would not sign the agreement. "If we act as we discussed today, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will end," Lukashenko stated before Pashinyan started his speech.

The documents were about the "Declaration of the CSC CSTO" and "On joint measures to assist the Republic of Armenia." The head of the Armenian government noted that these documents are not sufficiently finalized, and in this form, he is not ready to sign them.

Pashinyan noted the aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenia in mid-September of this year and, in particular, the fact that so far, the CSTO has not been able to reach a decision on the organization’s reaction to the mentioned aggressive actions of the neighboring republic on the border, raise fundamental questions that are extremely important both for the CSTO and for its perception in the Armenian society.

"For us, confirming the CSTO's area of responsibility in the Republic of Armenia is of fundamental importance. The very existence of such wording may seem strange, but studying the context of our recent discussions, we concluded that it is of the utmost importance," the Armenian Prime Minister emphasized.