Armenia reiterates potential full exit from CSTO alliance

By Alexander Pracht

Armenia may ultimately withdraw from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) if Moscow fails to make political statements that were promised years ago following Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia’s sovereign territory in 2022, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan told reporters after a government session on Thursday.

“We are not just hinting at the CSTO, we are explicitly stating that things cannot remain like this for long,” Kostanyan declared.

Asked when Armenia might decide to leave the CSTO, the Deputy Minister replied that Armenia, as a sovereign state, would determine the timing of such a step. And when asked if Armenia might become more vulnerable outside the CSTO, Kostanyan shot back: “Do you think we are less vulnerable being a CSTO member?”

Commenting on Armenia's other international ties, Kostanyan noted: “We remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and will continue to deepen our relations with the European Union. If the need arises to make clear decisions at some point, such decisions will be taken.”

Armenia suspended its CSTO membership in February 2024 after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the alliance posed threats to Armenia’s security, sovereignty, and statehood. Yerevan’s relations with the bloc worsened after Azerbaijan's incursion into its internationally recognized territory in September 2022, when the alliance failed to offer military or political support. Despite repeated appeals from Yerevan, the CSTO has neither condemned the attack nor acknowledged that Azerbaijani forces have occupied Armenian land.

With its membership suspended, Armenia does not pay its compulsory membership fees and does not attend military exercises. Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that the issue of Armenia’s non-payment of CSTO dues could only be discussed next year, describing it as a purely procedural matter. “Everyone understands that Armenia, which froze its CSTO membership, neither participates in decisions nor hinders them,” Pankin added.