Armenia has submitted a proposal to the CSTO on relinquishing its quota of Deputy Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday (10 March).
When asked to either confirm or deny media reports claiming that Armenia has formally renounced its quota of Deputy Secretary-General, foreign ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said, "Indeed, we’ve presented a respective proposal to the CSTO."
Hunyunyan refrained from giving a concrete reason why Armenia has chosen not to accept a Deputy Secretary-General position in the CSTO.
According to the website of the CSTO, the number of quota posts in the Secretariat is assigned to the CSTO member states in proportion to their contributions to the budget.
"The appointment of officials for quota posts of the Secretariat is carried out by the Secretary General on a rotational basis every three years, as advised by the CSTO member states," the website adds.
Armenia unhappy with CSTO alliance
In recent months Armenia has repeatedly expressed disatisfaction with the Russian-led military alliance.
Following cross-border fighting in September 2022 between Armenia and Azerbaijan that killed hundreds on both sides, Armenia demanded that the CSTO condemn Azerbaijan over an alleged incursion into and occupation of Armenian territory. The CSTO refused.
Then on 10 January 2023, Armenia informed the CSTO that it would not host the "Indestructible Brotherhood" drills on its territory this year and in the near future, arguing that it would be "inappropriate".