ASTANA. Oct 4 (Interfax) - Western states are pushing Armenia to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in exchange for preferential arms supplies, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov said.
"The West is pushing the Armenian government to withdraw from the CSTO in exchange for preferential arms supplies and security guarantees, which will make Yerevan even more dependent on the North Atlantic Alliance in its further relations with Baku," Bortnikov said at the 55th meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services on Friday.
"Given the earlier experience of NATO mediation in various parts of the world, the bloc's gaining a foothold in the South Caucasus will obviously not help maintain stability in the region," Bortnikov said.
"By inciting Yerevan to stall negotiations with Baku, the West is trying to lead the Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement process and to achieve the deployment of its own 'peacekeeping' contingent in the region under the de jure aegis of the United Nations, which would be the NATO aegis de facto," Bortnikov said.
"The EU independent civilian observation mission" deployed at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border "is conducting intelligence to the benefit of a particular NATO member against Russia and our partners," he said.
Western states are also provoking other conflicts on the post-Soviet space, Bortnikov said.
The concentration of Ukrainian forces near the Belarusian border, the numerous incidents with Ukrainian drones in the Belarusian airspace, the recruitment of Belarusian citizens to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the intensified sabotage by Ukrainian security services "have the same goal of an escalation of the conflict into which both the Baltic states and Poland will be drawn," he said.
"We also view as a serious threat the increasing pressure of the West on Moldova, which aims to push Chisinau into an open confrontation with Russia. The EU and NATO link further financial assistance and European integration prospects of this country to the inclusion of its territory into the logistics of military supplies to Ukraine and the final settlement of the Transdniestrian issue," Bortnikov said.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in September that Armenia's membership in the CSTO created threats to the security, sovereignty and very existence of Armenia. CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said, in turn, that the CSTO views Armenia as an equal partner and is ready for dialogue.