“The CSTO has many internal issues that it needs to rectify. That is not correct,” MFA Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan told reporters regarding how Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko presented the results of the CSTO summit to the Azeri ambassador to Belarus. Secretary-General Yuri Khachaturov’s authority has ceased due to the fact that he has been accused in the March 1st case. Armenia still has time to lead the CSTO, but a Belarusian candidate’s name is spreading across Russian media. During the recent summit, the members of the CSTO were unable to agree upon the Armenian candidate, Vagharshak Harutyunyan. The issue will be raised at the CSTO again on December 6th. “It is a priority for Armenia to strengthen its ties with the organization, and that is not limited only to the Secretary-General position, but also our collaborations with the other six member states. The CSTO is still in its formulation stage,” Anna Naghdalyan noted.
When asked if Armenia has a candidate, Naghdalyan confirmed that it does, but she did not give any details. “We have views that do not necessarily need to correspond to the views of other countries. The discussion phase regarding the Secretary-General will take place on December 6th.”
Regarding the fact that, besides Khachaturov, no other Secretary General other than Khachaturov said anything about Azerbaijan, Anna Naghdalyan emphasized, “All decisions made in the CSTO are based on mutual agreements. Perhaps there was an overestimation of the Secretary’s authorities. The secretary is the manager who cannot work independently.” Regarding fears that Belarusian candidate Stanislav Zas is pro-Azerbaijan, the spokesperson said, “When it becomes clear what fundamentals the Secretary-General will be nominated based off of, discussions regarding candidates will take place. We have not reached that phase.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
