Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that CSTO countries discussed the possibility of applying the organization's charter provisions due to Armenia not paying its contributions to the budget for over two years.
Sergey Lavrov. Photo: Alexander Nemenov / Pool Photo via AP
According to Article 25 of the CSTO charter, a state that has been in arrears for more than two years may be deprived of the right to nominate its citizens for quota-based positions in the organization and the right to vote in its bodies until the debt is fully repaid.
In 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the suspension of the country's participation in the CSTO, after which the Armenian authorities stopped funding the organization. Later, Yerevan repeatedly stated that it considered withdrawal from the CSTO more likely than returning to active participation.
Separately, Sergey Lavrov touched upon the issue of Armenia's European integration. In March 2025, the country's parliament adopted a law on starting the process of joining the European Union. At the same time, the Armenian Foreign Ministry emphasized that this document is not an official application for EU membership, but reflects an intention to deepen cooperation with the European Union.
According to the Russian minister, participation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and a possible move towards membership in the European Union require Armenia to define its further course, as the rules of operation of these blocs, according to Moscow's position, are incompatible.
In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Russia does not consider it possible for Armenia to retain all economic advantages of participating in the EAEU while simultaneously preparing for integration into another economic bloc. She also criticized the European Union's policy towards Armenia and expressed the opinion that the EU uses cooperation with the country for its geopolitical interests.
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