Armenia Strengthens Security With CSTO

That is a policy which successfully combines both the general logic of the traditional cooperative relations between Russia and Armenia and fixation of the regional security on the grounds of political insight.

These factors come to prove once again that none of the international poles has such a level of involvement and influence over the South Caucasian issues as official Moscow, that’s why an intensive partnership with Moscow is an important index to the essential and effective policy that is underway.

The fact doesn’t mean that Armenia leads a unilateral foreign policy, just the opposite, cooperating actively with the “Russian” pole under the policy of complementation Yerevan actually benefits from collaboration with Euro-Atlantic partnership, particularly from dealing with EU and Nato member states and the mentioned organizations as well.

In the context of such a security roadway initiated by the RA foreign policy on June 14 delegation headed by President Serzh Sargsyan left for Moscow to participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) regular session. Two factors that arise the importance of the session for us are the following: first, after nine-month period of presidency Armenia was to pass the rotary chairmanship in the CSTO to Belarus and the second, February initiatives about the creation of Rapid Reaction Forces were to be legally ratified within CSTO.

Remind, that during the February meeting held by CSTO chairing state president Serzh Sargsyan, the organization members came to a principal agreement over the creation of “Rapid Reaction Forces” taking into consideration the previously expressed observations about excluding probable attempts of separate states to use force while resolving frozen conflicts.

In fact, the organization set a task to create rapid reaction military forces within the legal limits of its powers which will carry out defensive and some other functionings.

On June 14, 2009 Presidents of Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the Rapid Reaction Forces Creation agreement which set the status of the mentioned forces, order of its formation and functioning as well as their effectives. The agreement practically founded the new quality and content of as a political and military union.

Anyway, CSTO summit passed with a political excess. This time Byelorussian side initiated it. They just didn’t arrive in Moscow though, later official Minsk announced it attached importance to the creation of “political forces”.

By the way, the day before after Byelorussian demarche which was predicted by most mass media and experts, some sources in the Russian political establishment admitted that Armenia remains the most predictable and reliable partner to Russia in the post-soviet area regardless the deepening role of Russia in the CIS territory. The fact was practically proved through the mutually beneficial work done within the frames of both bilateral and CSTO cooperation between Russia and Armenia.

In reality, some essential initiatives have been carried out during the last months under Armenia’s presidency and direct participation. These processes deepened the institutional and practical components of the political military union.

It’s noteworthy that by the initiative of Yerevan Foreign Ministers of CSTO member states had a number of meetings and discussions over actual global and regional issues on the eve of both UN General Assembly and OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Helsinki.

That experience was unprecedented and was aimed at matching the positions of the parties with the view of ensuring higher level among the allies.

In the Moscow meeting while ratifying the agreement over “Rapid Reaction Forces” creation Armenia managed to fix the points in the agreement which set that decision about using the Rapid Reaction Forces of CSTO will be made through consensus among the membering states as well as by parties which have ratified the agreement by signing it.

In addition to this the decision about using Rapid Reaction Forces of CSTO must be taken immediately which will promote to solving the problems with full operative preparedness of the mentioned forces.

The Moscow agreement is another significant step from the perspectives of securing the stability of both Republic of Armenia and the region. The step actually founded the institutional and practical ground of Armenia’s and other membering states’ collective security.

The step is an essential guarantee of ensuring Armenia’s security and national interests at least.

Aysor.am
15.06.09