The process of replacement of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov accused of overthrowing the Armenian constitutional order in 2008, will be completed shortly, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told TASS on Saturday.

YEREVAN, October 20. /TASS/. The process of replacement of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov accused of overthrowing the Armenian constitutional order in 2008, will be completed shortly, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told TASS on Saturday.

"The process of Secretary General’s replacement and appointment of the new CSTO head will consist of two stages. As for replacement of the CSTO Secretary General, that process will be completed shortly. As for the second stage, the CSTO regulations do not stipulate for a case like that. An all-embracing solution is required in order to work out a clear approach for such cases in the future," he said.

According to Kocharyan, "either the country that proposed the CSTO Secretary General candidacy will propose a new one, or another country in alphabetical order will take over the chairmanship in the organization."

On July 26, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service pressed charges against Khachaturov, accusing him of overthrowing the constitutional order in 2008, and asked the court to impose a pre-trial detention on him. Khachaturov, who was the Commander of the Yerevan Garrison of the Armenian Armed Forces at that time and has served as CSTO Secretary General since 2017, denied his guilt. On July 28, Yerevan City Court of General Jurisdiction released Khachaturov on his own recognizance after a $10,000 bail was paid.

Armenia was rocked by a wave of protests in the wake of the presidential election held on February 19, 2008. The protesters disagreed with its official results, with Serzh Sargsyan winning the race. The protests were organized by supporters of Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan who had presidential ambitions at that time.