Russia Continues Push for CSTO Monitoring Mission Amid Armenia-Azerbaijan Tensions
In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta on August 28, Aleksey Shevtsov, the Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, stated that Russia's proposal to send a monitoring mission of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zone has not been implemented but remains in force.
"On Russia's initiative, it was proposed to send a CSTO monitoring mission to the conflict area. Unfortunately, the decision on its deployment on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was not realized, but the proposal remains in force," he said.
"Moscow is currently making efforts to implement the trilateral agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in November 2020. In the zone of contact, Russian peacekeepers are carrying out tasks to prevent escalation. The Russian leadership supports the work on the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, unblocking of transport communications in the region, restoration of economic ties, and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as generally strengthening confidence between the conflicting sides," Shevtsov listed.
"We record persistent attempts by the US, EU, certain Western countries and their agents of influence to interfere in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, discredit the Russian presence in the region, and strengthen their positions," the official stressed.