STEPANAKERT, MAY 19, ARTSAKHPRESS: According to the source, the CSTO foreign ministers discussed in detail the state and prospects of development of the international situation and the regional situation and their influence on the security of the CSTO member states. Stanislav Zas said: “Unfortunately, we don't see positive changes in the sphere of global security. The situation virtually along the entire perimeter of the borders of the CSTO member states remains tense. More efforts are being poured into building up military presence and military activity of NATO countries near the borders of the Eastern Europe responsibility zone of our organization.”

Speaking about the Caucasus collective security region of the CSTO, the latter’s secretary general noted that the deployment of a Russian peacemaking contingent in the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] conflict zone and the continuation of the negotiations had noticeably improved the situation. “We see prospects of establishment of long-term peace over there,” Stanislav Zas stated. “No shots are fired already, but the situation is tense for now. The Collective Security Treaty Organization closely follows the situation in near-border areas of Armenia's Syunik Province. The matter was discussed at the session of the CSTO Foreign Ministers Council. We welcome the start of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Russia acting as a mediator, and the achievement of an agreement on withdrawing some forces from the disputed territories. We believe there is no alternative to executing the trilateral agreements of November 10, 2020.”