CSTO Summit Strips Armenia of Voting Rights Over Two Years of Unpaid Dues; Pashinyan Stays Away
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) decided at its Moscow summit on November 11 to strip Armenia of its voting rights in the alliance and suspend its right to nominate its citizens to quota-based posts, until its arrears are paid in full. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the decision after the summit, saying Armenia had failed to meet its obligations for several years and that the step was taken under Article 25 of the CSTO Charter. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the summit; he was in Antalya, Türkiye, for the UN COP31 climate conference.
"Since Armenia has not fulfilled its obligations for several years, in accordance with the organisation's charter, it was proposed and decided to deprive Armenia of its voting rights, as well as the right to appoint its representatives to responsible positions in the CSTO," Peskov said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had flagged the move on November 10: Armenia has not paid its membership dues since 2024, more than two years of arrears. Under Article 25, a member more than two years behind on contributions can lose its vote and nomination rights until the debt is settled.
Armenia's membership itself is untouched. Lavrov said Armenia retains its main rights under the treaty, including the right to collective security itself, and that Moscow does not intend to expel it; CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov confirmed expulsion was not discussed at the summit.
Yerevan's relations with the Russian-led alliance have been frozen for nearly two years. Pashinyan announced in February 2024 that Armenia was suspending its participation, accusing the CSTO of failing to respond when Azerbaijani forces entered Armenian territory in 2021 and 2022; Armenia then stopped paying dues and stayed away from meetings and joint exercises. Asked about the Article 25 motion on November 5, Pashinyan said he wanted it stated once and for all that Armenia's interest in the CSTO "has run its course"; Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan ruled out a return on October 28. By the evening of November 11, Yerevan had issued no official response to the decision and has not filed a formal withdrawal request under Article 19.
GSM reported on November 11 that the Moscow summit adopted a counterterrorism strategy to 2030 and a final declaration, and that Lavrov had tabled the voting-rights motion beforehand; the summit's formal decision is the latest step in that line.
（Source: TASS）
Source: TASS
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亚美尼亚总理帕希尼扬2025年11月在哈萨克斯坦阿斯塔纳的资料照片。照片：CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Astana, Kazakhstan, in November 2025 (file photo). CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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