On May 27, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan received Stanislav Zas, State Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus who, according to the decision of the Bishkek Ministerial, was nominated as a candidate for the post of the Secretary General of the CSTO for the timeframe of January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022.

Minister Mnatsakanyan emphasized the role of the Organization in the security architecture of Armenia. Referring to the priorities of Armenia within the CSTO, the Foreign Minister of Armenia underscored the importance of continuous improvement of the efficiency of the Organization through close cooperation between the member-states.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia noted that as a result of the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CSTO in Bishkek, an agreement was reached on presenting the candidacy of the Secretary General to the consideration of the Collective Security Council and on the term of the latter’s tenure, as well as on the timeframe to undertake steps to fill the legal gap related to the preliminary cessation of the tenure of the secretary general.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan underscored that the Secretary General of the Organization must be guided by the foundational documents of the Organization, common interests and policy line of the individual member states and the Organization, and head the normal operation of the secretariat.

The candidate for the CSTO Secretary General, Stanislav Zas expressed his gratitude for presenting his candidacy at the session of the Collective Security Council as a result of the Bishkek Ministerial, and reassured that in the case of being confirmed in that position will consistently follow the stance of protecting the security interests of all the member states.