I Hope the CSTO's Negotiating Potential Will Be Effectively Utilized in the Current Situation: Member of the Russian Federation Council

The Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, Viktor Bondarev, expects that the negotiating potential of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will be effectively used in the context of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS reports, citing Tert.

"I would like to emphasize that Russia has repeatedly stated (and proven in practice) that our aim is to resolve the conflict between our neighbors peacefully. To promote peaceful dialogue, we have always tried to involve international organizations such as the CSTO. I hope that the negotiating potential of this organization will be effectively utilized in the current situation," Bondarev explained.

He is confident that Russia's peacekeeping mediation will prevent an escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. According to the senator, the incident that occurred earlier in the Syunik province can be explained by the fact that "the relations between the two states that have recently engaged in conflict are not fully resolved."

"The main thing is to prevent such incidents (border violations) from recurring, to avoid any continuation of these events, and to resolve them as soon as possible through peaceful means (with the rapid withdrawal of forces), so that the ceasefire regime is strictly maintained. Such provocations must be prevented. And this is no longer a military-political issue, but a purely political one," Bondarev highlighted.

It should be noted that earlier today, Nikol Pashinyan informed Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone conversation about Armenia's decision to appeal to the CSTO regarding the situation in the Syunik province.