CSTO Secretary General, Talatbek Masdikov: "Sustainable dialogue helps reduce the potential for conflict" On the sidelines of the Fourth Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masdikov spoke about the prospects for a settlement between Yerevan and Baku, as well as the request for a new security architecture on the continent. - Talatbek Talatbkovich, you touched on the issue of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. What is the CSTO position on this route? "We proceed from the fact that a strong dialogue between the parties has a direct practical meaning. A sustainable dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan helps reduce the potential for cumulative conflict and create an infrastructure of cooperation for the future. This is not an abstract formula - we are talking about creating an environment where the risks of a new escalation are reduced through working channels of interaction. Therefore, we express hope for the speedy conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries. - How realistic is this chance, given the ongoing tension? - The conference we are in was convened precisely to honestly examine the risks. The force factor has increased significantly in world politics: we are registering an unprecedented jump in military spending, militarization of economies and growth of strategic instability. Negative processes are developing against the background of the transition from unipolar control to a polycentric system, and the conflict at the global and regional level is intensifying. That is why dialogue - and not a pause before the next escalation - remains the only way to work. - You are talking about a new security system. What is its essential difference? Objectively, there is a demand for the establishment of a Eurasian security system based on new principles.

CSTO Secretary General, Talatbek Masdikov: "Sustainable dialogue helps reduce the potential for conflict" On the sidelines of the Fourth Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masdikov spoke about the prospects for a settlement between Yerevan and Baku, as well as the request for a new security architecture on the continent. - Talatbek Talatbkovich, you touched on the issue of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. What is the CSTO position on this route? "We proceed from the fact that a strong dialogue between the parties has a direct practical meaning. A sustainable dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan helps reduce the potential for cumulative conflict and create an infrastructure of cooperation for the future. This is not an abstract formula - we are talking about creating an environment where the risks of a new escalation are reduced through working channels of interaction. Therefore, we express hope for the speedy conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries. - How realistic is this chance, given the ongoing tension? - The conference we are in was convened precisely to honestly examine the risks. The force factor has increased significantly in world politics: we are registering an unprecedented jump in military spending, militarization of economies and growth of strategic instability. Negative processes are developing against the background of the transition from unipolar control to a polycentric system, and the conflict at the global and regional level is intensifying. That is why dialogue - and not a pause before the next escalation - remains the only way to work. - You are talking about a new security system. What is its essential difference? Objectively, there is a demand for the establishment of a Eurasian security system based on new principles.