CSTO Secretary General’s replacement process to be completed as soon as possible – deputy FM

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The process of replacing Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Yuri Khachaturov will be completed as soon as possible, deputy foreign minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan told TASS.

“The process of replacing the CSTO Secretary General and appointing new chief will be held by two stages. The replacement process of the CSTO chief will be completed as soon as possible. As for the second stage, the CSTO procedures do not envisage such situation. It’s necessary to have a universal approach so that there will be a concrete approach in similar cases in the future”, the deputy FM said.

Shavarsh Kocharyan said either the country, who nominates the candidacy of the CSTO Secretary General, will present a new candidate, or the chairmanship of the organization will be transferred to another country in alphabetical order.

CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov has been charged over the 2008 March 1 case. The court approved the motion to remand him into custody, but later he was released on bail.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan