Armenia Stripped of Voting Rights in Russian-Led CSTO Over Unpaid Dues, Kremlin Says

Armenia has been stripped of its voting rights in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after failing to pay membership fees, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, November 11. The decision further strains ties between Yerevan and the military alliance, which Armenian officials accuse of failing to protect the country during Azerbaijani attacks.

Speaking to Yunаshev Live, Peskov said CSTO members had approved restrictions that also prevent Armenia from appointing representatives to senior positions within the organization.

He said the decision followed Armenia’s failure to meet its obligations for several years and was made under the organization’s charter.

The move comes as relations between Armenia and the CSTO remain strained over Yerevan’s accusations that the alliance failed to protect Armenian territory during Azerbaijani military attacks in 2021 and 2022.

Armenia has suspended its participation in the organization and stopped paying membership fees but has not formally withdrawn.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said November 10 that Moscow had proposed suspending Armenia’s voting rights and its ability to nominate citizens for positions within CSTO bodies because of unpaid contributions dating back to 2024.

Under Article 25 of the CSTO charter, a member that fails to pay its dues for two years can lose those rights until its debt is settled.

Lavrov said the restrictions would not amount to Armenia’s expulsion from the alliance. He also stressed that Armenia would retain its right to collective defense under the treaty, despite the suspension of its voting privileges.

The proposal was submitted by Russia, according to CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, who disclosed the initiative November 4. Two days later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin described the proposed measures as a technical matter.

For Armenia, however, the dispute goes far beyond unpaid membership fees.

Yerevan’s relationship with the CSTO deteriorated after Azerbaijani forces launched military operations along Armenia’s borders in 2021 and September 2022. Armenian officials accused the alliance of failing to respond adequately to attacks on the country’s internationally recognized territory.

Armenia formally requested CSTO assistance following the September 2022 fighting, but the response deepened tensions between Yerevan and its security partners.

During a CSTO summit in Yerevan in November 2022, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to sign a proposed declaration on assistance to Armenia because it did not include a political assessment of Azerbaijan’s actions.

Pashinyan later accused the alliance of failing to clearly recognize its area of responsibility within Armenia’s sovereign territory. He argued that the organization’s failure to meet its security commitments had left Armenia more vulnerable.

In February 2024, Armenia publicly announced that it had frozen its participation in CSTO activities. It subsequently stopped making financial contributions, although it remained a member.

Armenian leaders have since made clear that they see no reason to return to active participation.

On October 28, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Yerevan had no plans to reconsider its position.

“We will not change our position, and we do not see ourselves returning to the CSTO,” Mirzoyan said.

Pashinyan delivered an even stronger message on November 5 when asked about the possibility of Armenia losing its voting rights.

“I want us to establish once and for all that our interests regarding the CSTO have been exhausted,” he said.

The latest decision leaves Armenia formally inside the military alliance but without a vote in its governing bodies or the ability to nominate representatives to designated positions.

It also underscores the widening divide between Yerevan and Moscow, once Armenia’s principal security partner, as the Armenian government continues to question the value of an alliance it says failed to protect the country when its security was threatened.

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