Discussion on Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Situation at CSTO Foreign Ministers Meeting

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has traveled to Tajikistan on an official visit. As reported by TASS, Lavrov will hold talks with Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Mukhriddin, who is currently presiding over the CSTO, and will participate in the CSTO Foreign Ministers' Council meeting scheduled for May 19 in Dushanbe. This will be the first meeting held in a face-to-face format since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is clear that in addition to the ongoing cooperation issues among CSTO member states, foreign ministers will discuss in detail the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the recent clashes between CSTO members Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that were peacefully resolved, as well as the existing situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, which, according to official Yerevan, is being directed by Baku, as stated in the publication by the Russian news agency.

The final section of the report is titled "Is it a Request for Help or the Politicization of the Issue?" It recalls the official responses from Yerevan regarding recent events, particularly mentioning the appeals to CSTO member states based on Article 2 of the treaty, seeking assistance to neutralize the threats against Armenia, the grounds presented by Yerevan, and the assessments regarding Azerbaijan's actions, as well as Baku's responses to these situations.

It is noteworthy that during the night of May 12, several units of Azerbaijan's armed forces crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia in the area of Lake Sev in the Syunik region and advanced up to 3.5 kilometers. Similar incursions have also been reported in some directions of the Gegharkunik region, and according to official information, several other attempts have been averted. Up to this point, the negotiations with the Azerbaijani side, including with the participation of the Russian side, have not yielded results. The majority of the Azerbaijani forces that entered Armenian territory have yet to comply with Armenia's official demand for an immediate withdrawal from Armenian territory.

According to the Defense Ministry's latest report, the situation created after the provocations by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on May 12 and 13 at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border has not changed as of the evening of May 18. "In the absence of reasonable timelines for a peaceful resolution, namely if Azerbaijani military personnel do not return to their original positions unconditionally, the Armed Forces of Armenia reserve the right to resolve the issue by other means, including the use of force," the statement from the Ministry of Defense emphasizes.