Russian Senator: Armenia Risks Losing Russia and Other CSTO Countries

ArmInfo. Armenia risks losing Russia and other member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which can be considered its most reliable allies, believes Russian Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov.

According to Dzhabarov, the Armenian authorities are delaying their foreign policy decisions because they need to decide by the end of the year on a referendum on joining the European Union or maintaining membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.

"I think that Armenia's current leaders are playing with fire in that they could thereby lose their most loyal and reliable, natural allies in Russia and other CSTO countries," the senator said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Commenting on the organization's decision regarding Yerevan, Dzhabarov noted that the CSTO member countries They acted in accordance with the charter.

"Armenia demonstratively refuses to participate in any events and does not pay dues. They constantly repeat that they believe they have already withdrawn from the CSTO, although no one has submitted an official application," the Russian parliamentarian concluded.

On November 11, the CSTO countries decided to apply Article 25 of the organization's Charter to Armenia, which provides for the deprivation of voting rights and the ability to appoint their representatives to positions of responsibility. CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov stated that Armenia could restore its participation in the organization's work after resolving the issue of paying its dues arrears. The final decision, however, rests with the republic's leadership. Armenia itself did not participate in the meeting.

As a reminder, Armenia has been boycotting CSTO events since the end of 2022. In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that Armenia had effectively frozen its participation in the CSTO, as the organization had failed to fulfill its obligations to Armenia, which could not go without consequences. And on September 18, 2024, at the Second World Armenian Summit, Pashinyan declared that the CSTO posed threats to Armenia's security, its continued existence, sovereignty, and statehood.