Armenia’s rotational presidency of CSTO irreplaceable – parliament official

Armenia’s rotational turn to take over the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s General  Secretariat is not subject to any revision, according to Eduard Sharmazanov, a vice Speaker of the National Assembly and the head of the national parliamentary delegation to the organization.

“Armenia is not going to cede its role to anyone. The rotational order hasn’t begun yet. The Armenian side protects the Armenian interests fairly well in the person of the foreign minister and the minister of defense, as well as myself as the head of the parliamentary delegation,” he told Tert.am, commenting on the decision to suspend CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Borduzha from office.

Addressing Borduzha’s use of “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” in the statement condemning the Azerbaijan’s recent aggression against Armenian border defense positions (Tavush region), Sharmazanov said he doesn’t see any threat stemming from the statement.

“It was a very important and unique statement, in which an international organization like the CSTO make a specifically addressed evaluation of Azerbaijan’s actions, calling it a provocation. Secondly, it is not only Borduzha that says ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’. A text with [a similar wording] is posted also on the CSTO official website. The Azerbaijani and pro-Aliyev websites were in a fuss, yet I don’t see any hazard. Borduzha made the right statement before leaving [his post],” he added.