Armenia may be stripped of voting rights in CSTO due to contribution arrears

Armenia may be stripped of voting rights in CSTO due to contribution arrears. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are considering the possibility of imposing sanctions on Armenia for its long-term non-payment of contributions to the organization's budget. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following a meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Kazan, TASS reports.

According to him, Yerevan has not made mandatory payments for more than two years. In this regard, member states plan to study the possibility of applying Article 20 of the CSTO charter.

According to the document, a debtor state may be temporarily deprived of the right to vote in CSTO bodies and the right to nominate its representatives to quota positions until the debt is fully repaid. In certain cases, the charter also provides for the suspension of a country's participation in the organization's activities or even its expulsion.

Sergei Lavrov noted that Armenia continues to be a full member of the organization, but has not participated in its events for a long time.

The Russian Foreign Minister also stated that Yerevan must decide on its future foreign policy course — between deepening relations with the European Union and maintaining membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

In addition, Lavrov accused the Armenian authorities of increasing cooperation with NATO. According to him, Armenia conducts joint exercises with alliance countries, purchases weapons, and maintains contacts with NATO and EU military structures.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously explained the freeze of the country's participation in the CSTO by the fact that, in Yerevan's opinion, the organization did not fulfill its obligations during the events in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022.

Earlier, the presidents of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan signed a joint statement on the situation around Armenia. The country is offered a choice: to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) or to move toward the European Union (EU).