The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will consider suspending Armenia’s voting rights on Wednesday, November 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced.
According to Lavrov, the issue was raised because Armenia has failed to pay its membership fees since 2024.
Lavrov stated that Russia had been compelled to raise the matter over Armenia’s failure to fulfill its financial obligations to the organization. He added that even if Yerevan loses its voting rights, Armenia would retain its right to collective security under the CSTO framework.
The development comes amid a prolonged deterioration in relations between Armenia and the Russian-led military alliance.
In February 2024, Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia had effectively frozen its participation in the CSTO, accusing the organization of failing to fulfill its security obligations toward Armenia. Yerevan subsequently stopped participating in CSTO activities and withheld its membership contributions.
The dispute intensified following Azerbaijan’s military incursions into Armenia’s sovereign territory in 2021 and 2022, when the CSTO declined to provide the military assistance sought by Yerevan.
Despite freezing its participation, Armenia has not formally withdrawn from the organization and remains a member.
The November 11 discussions could therefore further restrict Armenia’s role within the alliance without formally ending its membership or the collective security provisions attached to it.
