Foreign ministers of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states will submit a draft decision to suspend Armenia’s voting rights over unpaid membership contributions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow on November 10.
According to Lavrov, Armenia has not paid its membership fees for more than two years, raising the possibility of applying Article 25 of the CSTO Charter, Interfax reported.
The proposed decision would suspend Armenia’s right to nominate candidates for positions allocated under national quotas in CSTO bodies and deprive it of voting rights until the outstanding contributions are paid.
Lavrov said the document would be considered at a meeting of the Collective Security Council on November 11.
He emphasized that even if the restrictions were adopted, Armenia would retain the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Collective Security Treaty, including the right to collective security.
Armenia’s delegation is not participating in the joint meeting of CSTO foreign ministers, defense ministers and security council secretaries in Moscow.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan previously said he would welcome Armenia’s expulsion from the organization. He also stated that Yerevan did not intend to resume active participation in CSTO activities over the next five years, saying Armenia’s interest in the organization had been exhausted.
