Is the CSTO attractive to Azerbaijan? A view from Baku
CSTO and Azerbaijan
On June 24th, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Imangali Tasmagambetov, stated that the functionality and membership of the organization could be expanded. According to him, there is a significant need for a military-political union, which is natural and historically justified. “Moreover, the CSTO offers very favorable terms for participation,” Tasmagambetov added.
Russia plays a leading role within the CSTO, which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia. However, recently, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has sharply criticized the CSTO’s activities, suggesting that Armenia’s participation in the organization is de facto frozen.
Meanwhile, there is an opinion that Azerbaijan could potentially join this organization. However, Azerbaijani officials have stated several times that there is no need for their country to join the CSTO.
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Member of Parliament: “The question of Azerbaijan’s membership in the CSTO is not relevant”
In current realities, Azerbaijan has the strength and capability to independently establish a new security framework, stated Hikmet Babaoglu, Deputy Chairman of the Defense, Security, and Anti-Corruption Committee of the Milli Majlis (Parliament), to Turan News Agency:
“There is no doubt that Azerbaijan is becoming one of the centers capable of forming a new security umbrella. At the recent international conference in Shusha, president Ilham Aliyev addressed this issue, stating that Azerbaijan could become one of the new centers of power in the international relations system alongside the Turkic Council.
“A center of power encompasses not only economic, political, and diplomatic influence but also military strength. Therefore, the question of Azerbaijan’s membership in the CSTO is not relevant.“
According to the deputy, if events in the new world order develop rapidly in the future, entirely different realities could emerge within two years:
“This depends on the outcomes of the conflict in Eastern Europe. There may arise a situation where the Turkic Council could create a security umbrella for itself in these processes or form a collective security organization.“
Political analyst: “A drowning man wants to drag his comrades down with him”
Recently, at a meeting of the CSTO foreign ministers in Almaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed a new security architecture in Eurasia, as recalled by Elkhan Shahinoglu, the head of the “Atlas” Research Center, in an interview with Radio Liberty:
“Russia is waging war in Ukraine and wants to strengthen its military bloc because its relations with many countries are strained. This proposal represents a new security architecture in Eurasia. There are two possibilities: either the expansion of the CSTO is implied, or it refers to a new military bloc.“
According to the expert, efforts are being made in this direction:
“Russia wants this. Russian authorities want Azerbaijan to participate in the new security architecture of Eurasia alongside Central Asian countries. Russia is isolated, and as they say, a drowning man wants to drag others down with him. However, no country will agree to this because no one wants to spoil relations with the West because of Russia.”
Shahinoglu believes that joining the CSTO contradicts Azerbaijan’s national interests and security interests:
“On an official level, Azerbaijan does not join military blocs. That’s why we became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, to avoid joining NATO or the CSTO. I don’t believe that the Azerbaijani government will give a positive response to the proposal for CSTO membership.“
