Moscow:Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have decided to strip Armenia of its voting rights within the organization, as announced by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

According to 24.kg News Agency, the decision was made because Armenia has not fulfilled its obligations for several years. As a result, Armenia's right to vote and appoint representatives to key positions within the CSTO has been revoked.

CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov stated that Armenia’s rights could be restored once the issue of unpaid membership dues is resolved. Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that Armenia had not paid its membership dues for over two years, which led to discussions about invoking Article 25 of the CSTO Charter concerning Armenia.

The CSTO Charter mandates that such restrictions will remain until the outstanding debt is paid in full. Armenia had previously frozen its CSTO membership in February 2024, citing unmet obligations by its allies and the CSTO's lack of intervention in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as reasons for the freeze.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed that the Armenian government does not intend to resume participation in CSTO activities and mentioned the possibility of Armenia withdrawing from the organization entirely if necessary.