West seeks to influence Armenia-Azerbaijan post-conflict normalization, says CSTO Chief of Staff

The CSTO sees high conflict potential on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border; a peace treaty is required to normalize the situation, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov said at a briefing, TASS reports.

“Certain states attempt to strengthen their own positions in the South Caucasus to gain access to the Caspian Sea resources and direct access to Central Asia. The high conflict potential of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is, among other things, actively used for this purpose. The conclusion of a peace agreement will remain of significant importance in the further settlement of the situation,” Serdyukov said. 

According to him, the West seeks to influence the post-conflict normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia, despite the latter’s membership in the CSTO. 

“Outside attempts to influence the format of post-conflict normalization continue despite Armenia’s membership in the CSTO,” Serdyukov noted.