Armenia’s membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) could be discussed at a November 11 summit attended by member states’ leaders, Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said.
“If the issue is submitted to the council meeting, it could happen,” Masadykov said.
Speaking about Armenia’s potential withdrawal from the organization, the secretary general noted that such a development would be possible if the matter were placed on the agenda of the Collective Security Council meeting, according to TASS.
“If the issue is submitted to the Collective Security Council meeting, it could happen.
“The proposal is usually submitted either by the country holding the chairmanship or by another member state. In other words, by a head of state or members of the Collective Security Council. What is actually happening can be considered in the context of Article 25 of the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which means that when membership fees are not paid and positions allocated under quotas remain unfilled, there is no voting right,” the secretary general added.
At the same time, Masadykov drew attention to the fact that although Armenia effectively does not participate in a significant portion of the organization’s activities, its representative continues to attend the CSTO Permanent Council’s weekly meetings.
“It seems that Armenia does not participate in the discussions. It seems that they are not taking part. However, Armenia’s representative attends the Permanent Council meetings every week, where the permanent representatives of CSTO member states are present. Armenia’s representative listens and probably reports back to the capital on what we are discussing, what decisions we are making, and, moreover, on all the issues we discuss and the possible decisions,” Masadykov said.
The next regular meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council is scheduled for November 11 in Moscow.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated from the parliamentary podium that he supports Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO and would be pleased if such a decision were made. According to the prime minister, Armenia does not intend to resume active participation in the CSTO over the next five years, as Yerevan’s interest in the organization has already been exhausted.
In September 2024, Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan had frozen its participation in CSTO activities. Explaining the decision, he claimed that the organization had created threats to Armenia’s sovereignty.
In October of the same year, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during an international security conference in Warsaw that Yerevan was assessing and calculating all the risks associated with a possible decision to withdraw from the CSTO. In December 2024, the Armenian prime minister stated that relations between Armenia and the CSTO had already passed the point of no return.
