The CSTO forces the Pashinyan regime to grow up
On November 5, the 12th plenary and first visiting meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly started in Yerevan.
Deputies from the participating countries of the Organization (Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), as well as a parliamentary delegation from Serbia came to take part in the event as observers. In addition to the deputies, members of the CSTO secretariat, headed by acting Secretary General Valery Semerikov, are involved in the plenary session.
Issues of global security and the fight against international terrorism were discussed at the summit. In particular, one of the tasks set for the participants of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly was the agreement on a unified list of terrorist organizations.
At the meeting, the parties also discussed the work of the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission and military-technical cooperation.
Thus, representatives of the Russian delegation thanked the Armenian side for sending a humanitarian mission to Syria in February of this year to provide assistance not only to the large Armenian diaspora in Aleppo, but also to the entire Syrian people. The Armenian contingent consists of 83 doctors and sappers. The Russian military provides material supplies and security to Armenian allies in Syria.
In addition to global security and the fight against international terrorism, the Armenian delegation once again brought up for discussion the issue of arms sales to Azerbaijan by its CSTO allies.
As the Armenian delegates themselves note, they do not see a solution to the problem. They are clearly not satisfied with the explanation that “if Russia and Belarus had not sold weapons to Azerbaijan, someone else would have sold them to this country.”
However, if you study the supply of weapons to Azerbaijan, it is noticeable to the naked eye that one of the most important partners of Baku is Israel, thanks to which the Ilham Aliyev regime has strengthened its defense potential with complexes of operational-tactical missiles, drones and even Spike ATGMs, which pose a serious threat to Armenian armored vehicles in the event of a military conflict.
Armenians are constantly reminded that they receive Russian weapons under extremely preferential contracts, while Azerbaijan pays for them at market prices, since it has such an opportunity. In addition, even the Belarusian Batka, not to mention Azerbaijan, does not have such a formidable weapon as the Russian Iskander tactical missile systems, but these missiles are already on combat duty in Armenia.
The Armenian side, which demands that its allies stop military-technical cooperation with Baku, misses one important point: Russia intends to further expand cooperation with Azerbaijan, drawing it into its orbit of influence.
Good relations between Moscow and Baku are extremely important for promoting Russia’s energy interests in the Transcaucasus. Azerbaijan, deeply disillusioned with the integration processes with NATO, is increasingly interested in membership in the CSTO, even to the point of sending observers to the organization’s summits. Azerbaijan's membership in the CSTO will become a guarantee, if not a complete resolution of the conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh, then, in any case, a reliable factor in its de-escalation.
In addition, Russia is interested in creating military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will help cool down too hot heads on both sides.
However, as the plenipotentiary representatives of the Armenian delegation at the CSTO plenary assembly emphasized, the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia and Belarus is not a reason for Armenia to leave the organization, which is the guarantor of its security in conditions when Turkey is behaving aggressively in Syria, and the situation around Iran threatens a serious war in the explosive region of the Middle East.
The analytical note “Russia and Armenia in the regional security system”, compiled by Armenian experts and announced at the CSTO PA summit in Yerevan, turned out to be quite interesting.
It follows from the document that Armenia, like other CSTO members, is most interested in deepening bilateral ties with Russia. Even more than in strengthening horizontal ties within the CSTO.
The reason for this, Armenian experts see certain shortcomings in the construction of the organization, in particular, the absence of a common enemy capable of uniting the CSTO members. In addition, they find significant differences in the challenges that arise on the western and southern (Transcaucasian and Central Asian) borders of the CSTO member states.
Experts believe that to strengthen the CSTO, it is necessary to search for and find common challenges. Then, they say, Tajikistan will rush to the aid of Armenia in the event of a military conflict with Azerbaijan, and Belarus will send a military contingent to Tajikistan at the time of aggression by Islamists from neighboring Afghanistan.
The course towards “European integration” taken by the Pashinyan administration did not go unnoticed by experts.
The note states that, taking into account Armenia’s strategic partnership with Russia and the CSTO on the one hand, and realistic relations with the EU on the other, the Transcaucasian republic could become a bridge through which different geopolitical unions will come together.
The authors of the document also propose to create, on the basis of the CSTO, an active formation of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) with a periodic change of the country of deployment. In their opinion, this will give military personnel the opportunity to thoroughly familiarize themselves with potential theaters of operations directly on the spot in order to act effectively if something happens.
The point on coordination in the military-industrial complex proposes the creation of joint ventures aimed at both the domestic market (the 102nd base of the Russian Armed Forces in Gyumri, as well as the armed forces of Armenia) and the external, especially the Middle Eastern arms market.
For example, the possibility of creating a joint venture with Uralvagonzavod on the basis of the Charentsavan machine-tool plant for the purpose of modernizing T-72 tanks is being considered. Experts claim that the Armenian plant already has such experience.
Another point in the document: all CSTO members are invited to take part in the post-war reconstruction of Syria to the best of their ability. Thus, according to the authors of the analytical note, the allies will gain invaluable experience in real combat operations, and Russia will strengthen its position in this area.
Even at first glance, it is clear that the Armenian analytical note is replete with pitfalls and surface rocks on the path to the implementation of the proposals set out in it. Apparently, this document was not seriously discussed at the summit, but it gives a picture of how experts see the prospects for Armenian-Russian military cooperation. And, fortunately, the final word remains with Russia.
Summing up.
Over the past year and a half since Pashinyan and his team came to power, we have observed a very interesting transformation of the Armenian regime, when realpolitik, at least partially, puts in place the brains gone crazy by the Maidan and forces yesterday’s street loudmouths to abandon promises to immediately leave the CSTO, the EAEU and others integration projects led by Russia.
Nevertheless, it is noticeable that Pashinyan’s supporters are torn apart by conflicting desires - to equally closely participate in allied programs with the CSTO and partner programs with NATO. Having sent a humanitarian contingent to Syria, Pashinyan, realizing that he is not very trusted in Moscow, is trying to prove that his assurances of friendship and alliance are not an empty declaration. But, at the same time, he makes statements about doubling the Armenian presence in Afghanistan, and his troops are taking part in NATO exercises in Georgia.
Such “multi-vectorism” has not previously brought anything good to those who like to sit on two chairs, and now, after the aggravation of the geopolitical confrontation, the parties involved in it are demanding that their overly flexible allies decide on their choice of sides. It will no longer be possible to maneuver the fifth point - the “multi-vector” one risks ending up between two chairs with a broken seat.
From the summit materials it is clear that enough attention was paid to Armenian-Russian interaction in the military sphere, but preference was given to strengthening allied ties between all CSTO member countries through rapprochement and harmonization of that part of national legislation that relates to ensuring state security from terrorist, “orange” "and external threat, up to the provision of humanitarian assistance to the injured ally.
For Armenia, whose plenipotentiary representatives agreed to such measures, this means a serious shift from teenage Maidan desires and flirting with NATO towards strengthening integration ties with Russia and other CSTO allies. Welcome to the adult world!
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.