Kremlin: Issue of new CSTO chief remains unresolvedDecember 7, 2018 - 14:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The leaders of the CSTO countries have yet decide who is the new Secretary General of the Organization, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS. His comments came after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared that the position will be filled in by a representative of Belarus. However, Armenia's presidency at the Organization concludes only in 2020. The Kremlin representative added that the topic was weighed in on by the leaders of the CSTO member countries in St. Petersburg on Thursday, December 6 when the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) summits were held. According to Peskov, Lukashenko raised the issue at the EAEU summit, although it was not included in the agenda. "This is a completely normal practice: any head of state can raise issues they consider necessary," Peskov said. However, he added, not all the leaders of the CSTO countries were at the negotiating table at that time, so the dialogue on the topic continued later at the CIS summit. 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. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |