Russia says consensus required to suspend Armenia’s CSTO voting rights

(Horizon Media)—Any decision to suspend Armenia’s voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization would require the unanimous approval of all member states, Russia’s permanent representative to the military alliance, Viktor Vasilyev, has said.

Vasilyev said the matter could be discussed during the next meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council, scheduled to take place in Moscow on November 11.

Should member states consider such a measure necessary, the decision would have to be adopted by consensus, he said.

Under Article 25 of the CSTO Charter, a member state that fails to meet its financial obligations to the organization for two consecutive years may lose its voting rights and its ability to nominate citizens for positions allocated through national quotas.

Vasilyev said Armenia has not nominated representatives for quota-based posts in the CSTO Secretariat for more than two years and has withdrawn its personnel from the organization’s Joint Staff.

Armenia froze its participation in the Russian-led alliance in 2024, citing the organization’s failure to respond adequately to security threats and Azerbaijani attacks against Armenian territory in 2021 and 2022.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 10 that the CSTO could consider applying measures outlined in its charter because Armenia had stopped paying its membership contributions.

The CSTO comprises Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.