Armenia refuses to appoint CSTO deputy secretary general

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on March 14 that the Armenian side is not going to appoint its representative as the Deputy Chairman of the CSTO. Armenia “will gladly accept the post of Deputy Secretary General of the CSTO if this means that the security of Armenia is increased by another factor, otherwise we will send the wrong message to our people.” Earlier, the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Vahan Hunanyan, said that Yerevan sent a waiver of the quota for the position of deputy secretary general of the organization to the CSTO.

Pashinyan claims that the Armenian government is concerned about the “exit of the CSTO” from the country. According to him, Yerevan is not going to leave the organization. At the same time, the Armenian authorities believe that the CSTO is reducing its presence in Armenia. “There are fears in Armenia that the CSTO will leave Armenia. And my assessment is that, willingly or unwillingly, the CSTO is leaving Armenia, and this worries us,” Pashinyan said.