‘The ball is in Armenia’s court’: Yerevan voices on Armenia losing its voting rights in Russia-led CSTO
CSTO strips Armenia of its voting rights
The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has stripped Armenia of its voting rights. The country has also officially lost the right to appoint representatives to key positions, a right it had effectively stopped exercising long ago. The CSTO member states’ leaders made these decisions on 11 November at a meeting of the Collective Security Council. Armenia’s prime minister did not attend.
The CSTO officially has six member states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.
Armenia froze its participation in the CSTO in February 2024. The country no longer takes part in the organisation’s activities or pays membership fees. Yerevan made the decision because the CSTO failed to fulfil its obligations under its charter. The organisation did not respond when Azerbaijani forces entered Armenia’s sovereign territory in 2021–2022, despite the Armenian authorities’ appeals for help.
The CSTO allies explained their inaction by saying it was “impossible” to confirm the incursions because Armenia and Azerbaijan had not delimited their border. Armenia’s prime minister responded: “If we say there is no border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, then there is no CSTO. The CSTO has an area of responsibility defined by borders. If there is no border, there is no area of responsibility. And if there is no area of responsibility, there is no organisation.”
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders had taken into account Armenia’s failure to meet its obligations for several years. He was referring in particular to the country’s unpaid membership fees.
Under the organisation’s charter, Armenia can regain its rights in the CSTO once it clears its outstanding debt.
Yerevan has not yet officially responded to the CSTO’s decision. Perhaps the Armenian authorities saw no need to repeat their position, which they have stated many times before. A week ago, during a press briefing, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, among other things: “I want us to make this clear once and for all: our interest in the CSTO has been exhausted.”
But Security Secretary Alen Simonyan had commented on the decision by the time this article went to publication. On his personal Facebook page, he wrote: “They stripped us of our voice in a place where everyone remained very loudly silent while they were collectively killing us.”
The CSTO member states’ leaders did not surprise experts or the public with their decision. Moreover, they believe Yerevan should not have waited for the organisation to strip it of its voting rights. Many argue that Armenia should have left the CSTO long ago.
Babken Harutyunyan, a politician and former member of the Hayrenik (Homeland) party, described the CSTO as a “pro-Azerbaijani organisation”. He explained his view by saying that Armenia’s allies treat their own member state and Azerbaijan, which they call a “friendly country”, as equals.
“The organisation is leaving the final step [leaving the CSTO] and the last word to Armenia itself. Or perhaps it hopes that forces it finds acceptable [pro-Russian forces] will come to power and once again bring Armenia back under the CSTO’s feet. After Azerbaijan’s years-long occupation of Jermuk and other Armenian territories, Armenia should leave the CSTO,” he said.
- ‘Certain circles in Russia and Eurasian Economic Union back secret plan by Armenian opposition’ – Pashinyan
- Russian-led EAEU bloc warns Armenia of possible ‘serious blows’ to its economy
- ‘Another attempt is being prepared to deprive Armenia of its independence’ — Pashinyan
CSTO secretary-general: ‘Armenia’s expulsion from the organisation was not on the agenda at the Moscow summit’
CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov stressed that the organisation had not discussed expelling Armenia.
“For the past three years, Armenia has not paid its membership fees or sent staff to the CSTO Secretariat or the CSTO Joint Staff. In other words, although Armenia has formally remained a member, […] it has not taken part in discussions. If Armenia pays its membership fees, it will be able to regain its voting rights in the organisation. The decision is up to the Armenian leadership.”
Masadykov had previously said that Armenia had effectively already left the organisation:
“They listen to weekly reports, but do not take part in our main events, exercises and so on. So I think Article 25 [of the CSTO Charter] applies here. Essentially, they have already left of their own accord.”
Under Article 25 of the CSTO Charter, a member state loses its voting rights if it fails to pay its contributions or fill positions allocated to it under the organisation’s quotas.
‘A sign of deepening political and diplomatic tensions’
Vahan Babayan, chairman of the Reformist Party, said the CSTO’s decision to strip Yerevan of its voting rights was not merely a “technical or financial matter”.
“This is another sign of deepening political and diplomatic tensions between Armenia and the CSTO.”
He believes such decisions have the following implications:
- “Armenia is losing its ability to influence the organisation’s decision-making process;
- distrust between Armenia and Russia is growing in security and political matters.”
Babayan also warned that Armenia’s institutional standing within the organisation was weakening, even though the country formally remains a member of the military bloc. The politician said he expected the authorities to go beyond statements and provide serious, considered assessments in the interests of national security:
“We need real security guarantees, clear alliance relations and a foreign policy guided by national interests.”
Social media reactions
“Since the CSTO was founded, Armenia has been the only country that dared to speak up — and that is why it was stripped of its voting rights. Just like in an ancient Greek tragedy: you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
“They are still hoping that ‘Samvel from Kaluga’ [Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is under arrest and heads the opposition Strong Armenia party] or someone like him will come to power. Then they will restore Armenia’s voting rights. Otherwise, they would have kicked it out long ago.”
“Armenia should have left these stupid organisations, the CSTO and the Eurasian Economic Union [a Russia-led economic bloc], a long time ago. The only guarantee of Armenia’s security in the future is membership of the European Union and NATO.”
“Armenia decided to leave on its own. Nobody stripped it of any rights. Don’t delude yourselves.”
“And we didn’t need the right to vote anyway. They helped us in our time of need, and now they are taking away our rights? How hard this will be to bear. They don’t even recognise our state border.”
“And what even is the CSTO? A useless, unnecessary Putin-run organisation [a play on the Armenian abbreviation for the CSTO, ՀԱՊԿ, using different Armenian words]? The pointless ‘Putin office’ demands membership fees from Armenia but turned a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s invasion.”
“We have been stripped of our voting rights in a dead organisation.”
“Is it even worth worrying? What has this treacherous organisation ever done apart from betray us?”
“Thank God! I can’t wait for the day when Armenia has nothing in common with this rotten remnant of the Soviet Union.”
CSTO strips Armenia of its voting rights
