Times and measures: Armenia was deprived of the right to vote in the CSTO for debts

The CSTO does not raise the issue of Armenia's exclusion from the bloc, however, due to long-term debts on contributions, the republic's status in the organization has now been lowered. At the November 11 session of the organization's Collective Security Council in the Kremlin, the participating countries officially deprived Yerevan of the right to vote and the opportunity to nominate their representatives to governing bodies. According to experts, the refusal to pay dues is a deliberate move by Nikola Pashinyan in the expectation that the members of the association themselves will put an end to the relationship. However, the republic simply does not have any real alternatives to the Eurasian security system today. Whether Armenia's distancing from participation in the CSTO will affect the effectiveness and defense capability of the association is in the Izvestia article.

How will the CSTO strengthen

On November 11, a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council was held in Moscow. The leaders of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus flew to Russia to participate in it. Vladimir Putin held full-fledged talks with some of them the day before: for example, communication with Alexander Lukashenko lasted for almost four hours and even went into the night. There was also a busy program on the day of the summit. Traditionally, the leaders talked in a narrow format, and then in an expanded format with the participation of delegations.

— A complete understanding was reached on almost every issue discussed. We have confirmed our commitment to further joint work to counter acute challenges and threats to collective security," Vladimir Putin said.

The CSTO, established in 2002, remains a key instrument of collective security in the Eurasian space. In practice, the organization has already proved its effectiveness, in particular, with the mission to Kazakhstan in January 2022: at the request of Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev, the CSTO forces were deployed from January 6 to January 19 to stabilize the situation amid mass protests that escalated into armed clashes in Alma Ata. Therefore, the interest of states in the CSTO is obvious.

The Organization is actively strengthening its internal military potential. In 2026, eight large-scale exercises were held, where combat experience and equipment that have proven effective in modern conflicts were tested. For example, the recent CSTO maneuvers in the Chelyabinsk Region were combined with the strategic command and staff exercises Center.

— Systematic work has continued to equip our collective forces with modern weapons and equipment. I would like to emphasize that today we have to make important decisions on the further development of the Collective Forces of the CSTO. This includes their aviation component, as well as the formation of mobile air defense units during joint military operations," Vladimir Putin stressed.

The documents adopted at the summit, for example, the anti-terrorism strategy until 2030 and decisions on the development of Collective Aviation Forces, will seriously strengthen the organization. The main principles of the work were also fixed in the main final document — the Declaration of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO. This is a common course to protect regional security, from combating threats and disinformation to preventing the militarization of outer space and pressure in international relations.

Why was Armenia deprived of the right to vote

The current summit will also be remembered for its tough political decision on Armenia's status. The CSTO includes six countries, but there were five leaders at the meeting. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was on a visit to France these days at the Paris Peace Forum. Armenia continues to ignore the organization's activities, referring to the CSTO's refusal to assist in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Representatives of the organization have already explained this by saying that they legally had no right to interfere — the CSTO Charter extends the collective security zone exclusively to the sovereign territories of the participating countries recognized by international law, and Nagorno-Karabakh was not one of them. Nevertheless, the Armenian flag, along with others, was installed in the Kremlin hall.

Armenia was also on the agenda of the summit. In accordance with Article 25 of the CSTO Charter, for two years of arrears in contributions (the country has not transferred funds since 2024), the republic was deprived of the right to vote and the nomination of its representatives to quota positions was suspended. At the same time, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained earlier, no one is going to expel Yerevan — the door will remain open, and Armenia itself, even in the event of sanctions, will retain the key right to collective protection under the Treaty. The issue of Armenia's exclusion from the CSTO was not raised, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov emphasized. After paying off the outstanding contributions, Armenia will be able to fully resume participation and send its representatives to positions in the organization.

At the same time, Pashinyan publicly stated from the rostrum of parliament that he was in favor of excluding the republic from the CSTO and would even be pleased if this happened. According to him, the country does not intend to intensify its work in the CSTO in the next five years and Armenia's interest in the organization has dried up. However, there is still no official withdrawal request from Yerevan.

According to political analyst Alexandra Bokova, such tactics may be deliberate: Nikol Pashinyan would like Moscow to put an end to this story. Then you won't have to explain to the citizens yourself why the country was left without an ally. Armenia cannot step out into the void: in the current architecture, the country has no real alternatives to the CSTO. Joining NATO requires the consent of all members, including, for example, Turkey. At the same time, Armenia and Russia have serious obligations (a military base in Gyumri until 2044) and economic interests (cheap gas supplies, access to the EAEU market).

Pashinyan himself, speaking in parliament, could not specifically answer a question from journalists about how Armenia plans to replace its membership in the CSTO. "That is, there is a desire to change the vector, but there is no one who is ready to take responsibility for Armenia's security," Alexandra Bokova summed up.

An indivisible world from Europe to Asia

The tension around Armenia is only part of a broader discussion about a new security architecture. As Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, noted, this topic is raised at every CSTO summit. And today it is impossible to consider it in isolation from what is happening on the continent as a whole. Moreover, this very regional security was discussed in parallel at another important event — the negotiations of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi.

The issue of coordinating Eurasian and European security is becoming key, since the architecture of stability on the continent is unified and indivisible: lasting peace in the West is impossible without taking into account the interests of security in the east, and vice versa, says political scientist Tatiana Kosacheva. According to her, the CSTO, as a regional organization, is objectively interested in resolving crises on its external perimeter, but the organization's direct involvement in pan-European agreements depends on the format of the future settlement. That is why Vladimir Putin, among other things, informs his colleagues in such detail about what is happening in his area.

If the parties come to the creation of a new security architecture in Europe on the negotiating platforms, Eurasian structures will inevitably become part of it. But the main difficulty today, the expert noted, lies in the deep crisis of trust between Western countries and the CSTO. Nevertheless, if the negotiation track on Ukraine begins to bring results, the issue of finding a common denominator between European and Eurasian security will be on the practical agenda, and the potential of the CSTO will be in demand.