Russian deputy chief of staff resigns

A senior Russian military official who oversaw international cooperation resigned because of a conflict with the new chief of the General Staff, the ‘Kommersant’ newspaper said Wednesday.The resignation of General Alexander Postnikov, 57, was tendered in late 2013 and recently approved by President Vladimir Putin, the daily said, citing Kremlin sources, reported Russian RIA Novosti today .No official confirmation was available as of Wednesday morning.As the General Staff’s deputy chief, Postnikov handled the Russian military command’s interactions with NATO, including regarding the controversial US missile defense shield, the report said. He also was involved in transferring Syrian chemical weapons to international control. Postnikov was on the Russian delegation at talks on the issue between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, in Geneva last October. Postnikov quit because of tensions with the incumbent chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, at the job since late 2012, the report said.