Armenia insists on retaining CSTO chief’s positionNovember 16, 2018 - 16:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has said in an interview with TASS that Armenia should retain the post of Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). According to him, the country has good human resources. The CSTO Collective Security Council relieved Armenia’s Yuri Khachaturov of his duties as the organization’s secretary general in late October. On July 26, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service accused Khachaturov of overthrowing the constitutional order in 2008 and requested his arrest. Khachaturov, who was the Commander of the Armenian Armed Forces’ Yerevan Garrison back in 2008, pleaded not guilty. On July 28, the Yerevan City Court of General Jurisdiction released him on his own recognizance and a bail of about $10,000. Mnatsakanyan said the organization’s regulatory framework does not provide for any specific solutions to resolve issues related to the impossibility of implementing the duties of the CSTO Secretary General. The acting Foreign Minister added that decisions within the CSTO are reached by consensus, and that the authority, viability and efficiency of the organization are of utmost importance for Armenia. “As a CSTO member, we are interested in having a strong organization and contribute to this matter,” he said. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on November 7 that Minsk should appoint the next Secretary General of the organization. Nazarbayev told reporters after the session that all the heads of CSTO member states have said that a representative of Belarus should be the Secretary General. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |