Leaders of CSTO countries to decide on Bordyuzha successor
MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - The presidents of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) countries will approve the mechanism of the Organization's general secretary rotation at the Kremlin on Monday, and will decide who will replace Nikolai Bordyuzha in this post, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.
"The meeting will address issues relating to the introduction of rotation roles for the post of CSTO general secretary and on the system of rotation of other officials who are working in the relevant CSTO bodies," Ushakov told reporters in Moscow.
The Kremlin official said "there is currently a working discussion" on the next candidacy of the CSTO general secretary" and the final word will be given by the leaders on Monday." "Several options are being discussed, there are candidacies in the leaders' file," he said.
Responding to a question as to whether Armenia can become the first country whose representative will take the post of CSTO general secretary on the basis of rotation, Ushakov said: "Rotation is envisaged on the basis of the Russian alphabet, and therefore it is quite possible that a representative of Armenia will be general secretary of CSTO."
"However, this issue remains to be discussed and therefore it has not been determined yet when this [rotation] procedure will begin working, and the procedure has not been approved yet because the final decision has to be made by the leaders," he said.
Ushakov said the CSTO summit is an extraordinary one and is being conducted on the initiative of Armenia, which now chairs the organization and which suggested "holding a meeting between the presidents of the CSTO countries simultaneously with the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council."
The Kremlin expects that the summit will address "key regional and global issues, including the intensification of extremist and terrorist groups and destabilization of the situation at the CSTO borders" in addition to issues relating to rotation in the administration of the organization.
"The heads of the CSTO countries are expected to adopt a statement on the fight against terrorism with regard for the results of the discussion. It will outline the general approaches of the member countries to this threat," the Russian presidential aide said.