YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARTSAKHPRESS. CSTO member-states don’t expect any understanding about their actions and decisions from the organization’s Secretariat, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said when asked by CivilNet to comment on the response of the military bloc’s secretariat to Armenia cancelling drills.
“The circle of jurisdiction of the Secretariat as a CSTO working body does not include commenting on the statements of members of the CSTO Collective Security Council, the supreme body of the organization. CSTO member countries don’t expect from the Secretariat any understanding on their actions and decisions,” Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan told CivilNet.
He added that the CSTO Charter clearly defines the Secretariat’s duties. “The Secretariat is a working body for organizational, information, analytical and consultative support of the organizations bodies,” Hunanyan said.
“We call on the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Organization to lunch a scrutiny into the fact of the Secretariat’s comments with the purpose of not allowing its repetition,” Hunanyan said.
On January 10, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia will not host the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) joint peacekeeping exercises this year because holding the exercises in the current situation is inexpedient.
A day later, the CSTO Secretariat said it approaches the situation in Armenia with “understanding.”
