On 20 May, the Collective Treaty Security Organisation (CSTO) held a ministerial conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The ministers discussed the appointment of a new secretary general and the legislative gap in connection with the early resignation of the CSTO secretary general, Yuriy Khachaturov.

The acting secretary general of the organisation, Valery Semerikov, highlighted in his opening speech the most relevant issues of activity for the organization and also the main threats which the alliance faces. In particular, he expressed concern in regards to the situation developing in Eastern Europe, namely the growing quantity and scale of NATO exercises, a systematic increasing military activity of the alliance, and the expansion of its infrastructure at the borders of Belarus and Russia. In that context, the developments in Georgia were also highlighted as a concern due to Georgia’s increasing cooperation with NATO. Semerikov also mentioned the difficult situation remaining in the Caucasus in connection with a lacking solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the same time he noted that "a decrease in tensions and polemic on this matter and violence between the armed forces at the line of contact give grounds to hope for achievement of progress in search of a Karabakh settlement". The situation in Afghanistan remains the center of regional instability where paramilitary groups’ activities are still at large.

It was decided at the conference that the representative of Belarus, Stanislav Zas, will assume the post of the secretary general of the CSTO beginning 1 January 2020.

The delegation of Armenia was lead by its minister of foreign affairs, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who briefed the CSTO member states about Armenia’s primary security concerns. He stressed that the humanitarian situation in Syria is a very sensitive matter for Armenia, expressing concern for Turkey’s involvement in Syria as a pressing concern. He also mentioned the present-day situation concerning Iran, saying that stability around Iran is important in terms of ensuring a comprehensive security for Armenia.

He was also commenting on the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, and underscored the importance of the implementation of the agreements that were reached on the formation of a peace-building environment. In this regard, he expressed concerns over the involvement of some CSTO member states in arms sales to Azerbaijan, which had a negative impact both on the standing of this organization and on the climate of cooperation.

Armenia had a tense relationship with the CSTO since Pashinyan took office. In November 2018, Armenia withdrew its secretary general of the CSTO, Yuri Khachaturov, charging him with involvement in the violent breakup of protests in 2008. Khachaturov was the head of the Yerevan military garrison at the time. That set off a conflict within the alliance between Armenia, which wanted to name a replacement to fill out Khachaturov’s term, and Belarus, who is next in line and said that it deserved the position since Armenia gave up the office.

The CSTO is the Russian-led equivalent to NATO, created in 1992 with the goal of enabling collective security and abstaining from the use of force amongst its member states. Its member states include: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Serbia holding observer status. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan are former member states of the alliance after withdrawing their membership in 1999 (with Uzbekistan entering and withdrawing a second time in 2012).