On December 19, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Stanislav ZAS held a video conference to recap the results of the organization’s activities in 2022, the CSTO website reported.

Among other highlights, Zas stated that the CSTO Collective Security Council session, held in Yerevan in late November, cannot be considered a failure.

“Within the work of the CSTO mission in Armenia, a draft decision of the Collective Security Council on joint measures to assist Armenia was prepared, which was discussed at the session of the Collective Security Council on November 23 in Yerevan. I expect that upon the finalization of the documents, we will come to the adoption of these very important complementary documents – the decision of the Collective Security Council on assisting Armenia and the statement of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in support of efforts to achieve peace in the South Caucasus region,” Zas said.

The CSTO Secretary General reiterated that the CSTO will not turn away from Armenia. He noted that in 2022, the heads of the organization's member states met three times to discuss the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, adding that the CSTO proposals on sending an observation mission to Armenia remain in force, and it can be organized quite quickly.

The CSTO chief also referred to the mission of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. “The mission performed by Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh is very important for the entire Caucasus region. The peacekeepers are solving a very important issue there. Of course, we acknowledge the difficult conditions under which these problems should be solved and the aggravation of the situation currently underway, including the blocking of the Lachin Corridor," said Zas.

As for peacekeepers' activities, Zas believed that all parties should help them carry out their mission.

The Secretary-General also spoke about the CSTO’s main tasks and priorities for 2023 under the presidency of Belarus and the improvement of the CSTO’s military potential.

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