YEREVAN (Interfax) - Armenia should retain the chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) until 2020, Defense Minister David Tonoyan told the press on Friday.

Yuri Khachaturov

Russia has criticized Armenia following criminal charges brought by law-enforcement authorities in Yerevan against Yuri Khachaturov, the Armenian secretary general of the Russian-led CSTO. Khachaturov was charged on July 26 with involvement in what an Armenian law-enforcement agency now considers an “overthrow of the constitutional order” that followed a disputed presidential election held in February 2008.

In the same time, during a meeting with Russian Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Armenian Foreign Minister stated that Armenia attaches great importance to the further strengthening of the CSTO. Mnakatsakanyan said that Armenia highly appreciates the military and military-technical cooperation of the two countries in both bilateral and multilateral formats. In this context, the Minister stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to the further strengthening of the CSTO and, for this purpose, intends to continue its active participation in the activities of the Organization.

Mnatsakanyan noted that the 102^nd Russian military base in Gyumri is an important and positive example of this cooperation.

The sides discussed issues of regional and international security. Particular attention was paid to the Middle East, in particular, the situation in Syria. Mnatsakanyan noted that Armenia is very sensitive to regional developments, since it is directly connected with the issues of the security of compatriots in Syria, the protection of historical and cultural heritage