The head of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) says Armenia has effectively withdrawn from the military alliance, despite not formally ending its membership.
CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said Armenia no longer participates in the bloc’s discussions, activities or military exercises, and has stopped appointing personnel to positions allocated to it.
He also noted that Yerevan has not paid its membership fees since 2024.
Armenia froze its participation in CSTO in February 2024, citing what it described as the alliance’s failure to meet its security obligations during clashes with Azerbaijan in 2021 and 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned in June that Yerevan could face measures under the CSTO charter for failing to pay its membership fees.
Under the charter, members that fall two years behind on payments risk losing their voting rights and the ability to nominate staff to allocated positions. The charter also allows members to be expelled for violations, with the decision taken without the country concerned.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in August that he would welcome expulsion from the CSTO, arguing that it would remove the need for his government to decide whether to withdraw.
He told Armenia’s parliament that the country had no plans to resume participation in the alliance over the next five years, while the government’s 2026–2031 programme makes no mention of the bloc.
“I know that there are discussions in the CSTO and that they may expel our country from the organisation. I would be very happy if the organisation decided to expel Armenia from the CSTO,” he said.
“It would free us from the dilemma of whether or not to withdraw,” Pashinyan was quoted as saying by Armenia’s state news agency Armenpress.
Despite Armenia’s prolonged absence, Masadykov has previously urged caution over the possibility of expelling the country.
“Let’s not rush,” he was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS in August.
The CSTO’s Collective Security Council is scheduled to meet in Moscow in November, although Masadykov said it remained unclear whether Armenia’s membership would be a major topic of discussion.
Established in 2002 following a 1992 security treaty between former Soviet states, the Russian-led CSTO comprises six members: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.
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