Armenia does not plan to resume its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), despite statements by its leadership about the possible expulsion of the country. Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan stated this during a joint press conference with Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon on October 28, UNN reports, citing Armenpress.
The issue of Armenia’s further membership may be considered as early as November 11 at the CSTO summit in moscow. For now, Yerevan formally remains a member of the military-political organization led by russia.
Details
According to Mirzoyan, Armenia has not participated in the CSTO’s activities for a long time and is not considering the possibility of resuming cooperation with the organization. At the same time, Yerevan’s position remains unchanged regardless of statements by the organization’s leadership or its member states.
We stopped participating in the work of this structure a long time ago and froze our membership. If other members of the organization or its secretariat make any statements, they are futile. We will not change our position and see no possibility of returning to the CSTO
The head of Armenia’s foreign policy agency effectively confirmed that Yerevan does not intend to return to full participation in the military-political alliance led by russia.
CSTO discusses expelling Armenia
Mirzoyan’s statement came amid a discussion about the country’s further membership in the organization. In particular, on October 28, former CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha stated that Armenia should be expelled from the organization, as it had effectively ceased cooperation but continued to enjoy the status of a member state. In his view, this situation creates contradictions in the organization’s work, since its decisions are adopted on the basis of consensus, which requires taking the positions of member states into account.
Bordyuzha noted that Yerevan should make the decision to leave the alliance independently. If the Armenian authorities do not intend to do so, the issue of expulsion should be considered by the other CSTO members.
Earlier, on October 23, the organization’s incumbent Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said that the issue of Armenia’s membership could be submitted to a meeting of the Collective Security Council scheduled for November 11 in moscow. According to him, the Armenian side continues to receive the organization’s documents, but systematically refuses to participate in discussions and decision-making. At the same time, Armenia’s representative attends the CSTO Permanent Council’s weekly meetings.
Masadykov also emphasized that Yerevan does not participate in military exercises or the organization’s main events. At the same time, he clarified that for the issue of Armenia’s membership to be officially considered, the relevant proposal must be submitted by the chairing state or another CSTO member.
Why Armenia froze its CSTO membership
Relations between Yerevan and the organization began to deteriorate after the conflict with Azerbaijan escalated.
The Armenian authorities repeatedly accused the CSTO of failing to fulfill its obligations to ensure the republic’s security. Yerevan was particularly dissatisfied with the organization’s response to the border clashes with Azerbaijan in 2021–2022. Armenia insisted that the hostilities had taken place, in particular, on its internationally recognized territory, and therefore expected its allies to take specific measures within the framework of collective security mechanisms.
In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the country was freezing its participation in the CSTO. He explained this by saying that, in the view of the Armenian leadership, the organization had failed to fulfill its security obligations. In May of the same year, Yerevan officially refused to participate in financing the CSTO’s activities. Since then, Armenia has effectively distanced itself from the organization’s work, but has not initiated a formal withdrawal procedure.
In August 2026, Pashinyan stated that over the next five years the country did not plan to resume active involvement in the CSTO. Moreover, he said he would welcome a decision to expel Armenia, as this would relieve Yerevan of the need to resolve the issue of withdrawal independently.
Armenia has left the CSTO and does not plan to return - Pashinyan04.12.24, 17:20
Could Armenia be expelled from the CSTO?
The possibility of expelling a state is provided for by the charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. In particular, Article 20 of the document allows the Collective Security Council to suspend a state's participation in the work of the organization's bodies if it fails to fulfill its established obligations. If the violations continue, the Council may decide to expel the respective state.
At the same time, Article 25 of the charter provides for restrictions on participants that fail to fulfill their obligations to repay debts to the organization's budget for two years. In particular, this involves depriving them of the right to vote and suspending their right to nominate their citizens for quota positions in the CSTO until the debt is fully repaid. Such restrictions are introduced by a decision of the Collective Security Council.
Separately, Article 19 provides for the possibility of voluntarily withdrawing from the organization. To do so, the state must settle its obligations and officially notify the CSTO of its intention to leave at least six months before the relevant date.
However, in practice, Armenia's future status will depend either on its own decision to withdraw or on decisions by other member states within the procedures provided for by the charter.
What happens next
The nearest important date for future relations between Armenia and the CSTO will be November 11, when a meeting of the Collective Security Council is scheduled to take place in moscow. The meeting may raise the issue of applying the restrictions provided for by the charter to Yerevan or expelling the country from the organization.
Yerevan's refusal to return to the organization comes amid the country's gradual review of its security policy and the development of cooperation with European partners, particularly France, as well as with the United States.
We remind you
Back in June 2023, the then-incumbent Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, stated that membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) brought nothing to Armenia.