Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
The proposed suspension would also prevent Yerevan from nominating candidates for quota-based positions within the Russian-led security bloc.
Speaking on Tuesday following a meeting of CSTO foreign and defence ministers and security council secretaries in Moscow, which Armenian delegates did not attend, Lavrov said the restrictions would be considered under Article 25 of the CSTO Charter.
However, he stressed that even if approved by the bloc’s five other member states - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – Armenia would retain access to its collective security guarantees.
CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said Armenia had effectively stepped back from the organisation’s activities, suspending its participation in discussions, decision-making, major events and joint military exercises.
Yerevan froze its participation in February 2024 but has yet to formally withdraw from the bloc under Article 26 of its charter.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin described the proposed restrictions as an administrative response to unpaid membership fees rather than a political expulsion.
Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on 5 November that his government's involvement with the CSTO had “passed the point of no return,” as Yerevan seeks to diversify its international security partnerships and infrastructure cooperation.
The ministerial meeting came ahead of the CSTO Collective Security Council summit on 11 November, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Addressing the International Collective Security Forum on 10 November, Masadykov warned of growing threats to global stability amid major geopolitical shifts and rising military spending.
His remarks coincided with two historical anniversaries: the 85th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War and the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Tribunal judgment.
He also raised concerns about the militarisation of Western economies and the weakening of international arms control agreements.
Space security featured prominently in the discussions, with delegates warning about the deployment of orbital strike weapons and the increasing military use of civilian satellites for surveillance and targeting.
They also highlighted gaps in international regulations governing artificial intelligence and lethal autonomous weapons systems, warning that advanced military technologies could fall into the hands of criminal or terrorist groups.
Other issues included what delegates described as the politicisation of chemical and biological weapons conventions by Western countries, security risks involving Iran near CSTO borders and NATO's plans to expand nuclear infrastructure near the bloc's eastern European frontiers.
Despite mounting global tensions, delegates pointed to progress in Central Asia, where member states have settled long-standing border disputes through diplomacy.
Afghanistan also remained a key focus, with the CSTO Secretariat continuing to coordinate economic and security assistance through its dedicated working group.
A major priority is the Targeted Intergovernmental Programme for Strengthening the Tajik-Afghan Border, aimed at improving security along the frontier.
The Moscow meeting also focused on advancing the “Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century”, a joint initiative by Belarus and Russia backed by other CSTO members.
Negotiations on the draft charter began during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in September 2026. The initiative aims to establish a more inclusive continental security framework bringing together the CSTO, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.
At the 11 November summit, leaders are expected to adopt a CSTO Counter-Terrorism Strategy running until 2030. Russia will also hand over the bloc's rotating chairmanship to Tajikistan, effective from 1 January 2027.
Separately, Lavrov said Moscow supported a U.S. proposal discussed in Abu Dhabi to establish the framework for future security arrangements before formal negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Describing the approach as “logically sound,” Lavrov reiterated that Russia would not agree to a temporary ceasefire without binding clarity on the next steps towards a settlement.
He also accused European powers of seeking a pause in the fighting to allow Kyiv to rebuild its military capabilities.
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