Russia hopes for best situation with Armenia`s CSTO membership - RF  Deputy FM 

ArmInfo.  Russia is hoping for the best in the situation with Armenia and the freezing of its  membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the  dialogue continues, including within the framework of the bilateral  agenda, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander  Pankin told RIA Novosti.

"We always hope for the best. We are talking: with Yerevan (in the  CSTO - ed.) on the entire agenda:  bilateral, regional, and  international," Pankin said, answering a question about Armenia's  membership in the CSTO and its contributions to the organization.

At the same time, he emphasized that if Armenia does not pay its  contribution to the CSTO budget by the end of 2025, there will be no  situation with it "they will leave themselves or be kicked out", but  the countries can consider modalities of further interaction.

"Nobody will probably kick anyone out, nobody will leave  automatically. But, probably, it will be possible to consider the  issue of modalities of further interaction between the countries.  This should not be perceived as "they will leave themselves or they  will be kicked out", in no case, because I read all sorts of  different statements by someone," Pankin said.

According to him, by January next year a situation may arise that  there will be two years of non-payment, countries can consider  different scenarios. In this vein, Pankin recalled that there have  already been cases when other countries had debts for technical,  financial and other reasons. However, he assumed that no one will  expel Armenia from the CSTO.

In addition, the diplomat said that Armenia did not announce its  exclusion from the CSTO. "Armenia did not notify about its withdrawal  from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), but it is  not going to leave, Yerevan simply froze its activities, but at the  same time they remain a member of the CSTO," Pankin said.

In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced  that the republic froze its participation in the CSTO. Pashinyan also  stated that Armenia's return to the CSTO is becoming increasingly  difficult, if not impossible, according to him, the "point of no  return" has been passed.  Pashinyan explained the freeze in the CSTO  by the fact that the organization allegedly created threats to the  republic's sovereignty. However, the press secretary of the Russian  president, Dmitry Peskov, did not agree with this position, adding  that the CSTO guards the sovereignty of member countries. In  addition, Armenia stopped making its contribution to the  organization's budget and sending representatives to the  organization's events and exercises.