MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. Criticism being heard from some politicians regarding the Collective Security Treaty Organization is groundless and by no means promotes constructive work, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday.

"The CSTO’s unfounded criticism, voiced by certain politicians, is not beneficial and does not contribute to the search for verified mutually acceptable solutions," she said.

Zakharova also stressed that the Armenian authorities’ decision against participation in CSTO exercises was due to the current situation in the republic.

"As for the decision taken by Yerevan not to delegate its military contingent this year to the joint CSTO exercise in Kazakhstan, I believe that in this matter Armenia is acting on the basis of the priority tasks facing it and its armed forces in the current situation. In general, interaction with Armenia within the organization can be characterized as fruitful and effective," Zakharova said.

On September 13, shortly after midnight, the Armenian Defense Ministry said there had been a shelling of several communities by the Azerbaijani army. Baku said that it was a response to provocations by Yerevan. Later, Azerbaijan said that it had reached agreements on a ceasefire, but Armenia stated that the shellings continued. Armenia’s Security Council met in urgent session. It was decided to seek help from Russia in order to use the provisions of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, as well as the CSTO and the UN Security Council. Both countries periodically report new border incidents.