Armenia has been boycotting CSTO activities since 2022 when it accused the organization, which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, of failing to assist it in the face of Azerbaijani military aggression against Armenian sovereign territory. Yerevan also relinquished its quota for the post of CSTO deputy secretary general.
In February 2024, Armenia announced a “freeze” on its membership in the alliance and stopped paying membership dues.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said on Monday that despite Armenia’s continued boycott, the South Caucasus country remained a full member of the CSTO and that the defense bloc continued to leave open the possibility for Yerevan to participate in its decision-making.
“We are not leaving Yerevan outside our cooperation, keeping open the opportunity for our partners to join all decisions developed within the organization, which ultimately would fully serve their interests,” Pankin said, as quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency.
“Unfortunately, we do not observe any reciprocal steps from the Armenian side. Rather, on the contrary: once again, attempts to shift responsibility for decisions onto others are evident,” he added.
Pankin cited CSTO provisions allowing a member state to be deprived of voting rights until it has fully repaid its accumulated membership dues.
Earlier, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said Russia had submitted a draft decision on suspending Armenia’s voting rights and its right to nominate candidates for positions allocated to member states under the organization’s quota system.
The issue is expected to be discussed at a CSTO summit in Moscow on November 11.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that decisions concerning Armenia’s membership would be made following discussions within the organization. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said the issue could be discussed in detail at the summit.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said on several occasions since August that Yerevan would not object if the CSTO decided to expel Armenia, although he has stopped short of announcing a formal withdrawal from the organization.
Last week, he declared that Armenia’s interest in the organization had been “exhausted” and that the country had no intention of resuming its active participation in it.