ArmInfo.For Armenia the relations with Russia within CSTO is just a small part of the Armenian-Russian military and political cooperation and they are important to Moscow, not Yerevan, Arman Melikyan, the former foreign minister of NKR, an independent analyst, told ArmInfo.
On October 14, Friday, Yerevan hosted the meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council and Belarus assumed the CSTO chairmanship. Following the 3-hour meeting of the CSTO leaders behind the close doors, over 20 documents were signed, however, Nikolay Bordyuzha remained the CSTO Secretary General.
"In this light, I do not think that the CSTO is a formal organization. CSTO is an effective mechanisms in the hands of Moscow and enables Russia to ensure its military interference and presence in the European, Caucasian and Central-Asian vectors of policy," he said.
Melikyan defined Russia as the axis of the CSTO saying the Organization rather efficiently serves the regional and geopolitical interests of Moscow.
Established in 1992, CSTO involves Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.