The final statement the foreign ministers of the CSTO member states made in Yerevan contained important messages in the Karabakh peace process, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov said at a press conference in Yerevan on July 11.
He noted that it is no secret the locomotive of the organization is Russia, however, there are also Turkic states in the Russian Federation and they do not always support the CSTO statements.
"In this case an important statement on the Karabakh peace process was made. It expressed solidarity to the Armenian side and Kazakhstan also signed the statement. I think it is a significant message," Sharmazanov said.
To note, following the summit of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Yerevan on July 4, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the organization's member countries adopted a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, which reads as follows: "We voice support for the agreements reached on the summits on Nagorno-Karabkh problem held in Vienna on May 16 and Saint Petersburg on June 20, aimed at excluding escalation of the situation in the zone of conflict, stabilization of the situation and creation of conditions for reaching progress in the peaceful process. Confirming the necessity of exclusively peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict we express support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the settlement of the conflict based on the principles of the international law, UN Charter, provisions of Helsinki Final Act, particularly related to non-use of force or threat by force, territorial integrity of the states, equality and people's right to self-determination". Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed under the statement.