CSTO could name Belarus Security Council chief as new Sec-Gen

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is discussing the appointment of Secretary General of the Security Council of Belarus Stanislav Zas as the organization's new Secretary General, Kommersant reports citing diplomatic sources.

Days earlier, the CSTO Collective Security Council relieved Armenia’s Yuri Khachaturov of his duties as the organization’s secretary general. The move had been initiated by Yerevan.

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.

The leaders of member-countries will make a final decision at a meeting on November 8.

According to one of the sources, an option initially discussed was the appointment of Semerikov for a period of a year and a half, which means for the period that Khachaturov did not manage to finish.

However, the source said, it was decided to appoint a full-fledged head of the secretariat. At the same time, he said, it was decided to be guided by the principle of rotation. According to him, after Armenia, the secretary general should be appointed by Belarus - in alphabetical order.