CSTO to consider situation over Armenia’s failure to pay dues to the organization: Lavrov

The CSTO will consider invoking the article of the organization’s charter governing actions against member states that fail to meet their obligations, due to Armenia’s non-payment of dues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to RIA Novosti.

“What should be done in this situation? We discussed this today. Armenia has owed arrears to the CSTO budget for more than two years, a situation that is covered by the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Today we agreed to look at invoking the relevant article of the CSTO Charter,” Lavrov told reporters.

Under Article 20 of the CSTO Charter, if member states fail to meet their obligations to clear budget arrears within two years, the Collective Security Council shall decide to suspend that state’s right to nominate its citizens to quota-based positions within the organization, as well as to strip it of its voting rights in the organization’s bodies until the arrears are fully repaid. Article 20 of the Charter further stipulates that if a member state fails to comply with the provisions of the Charter, decisions of the Council, or decisions of other bodies of the organization taken in pursuance thereof, the Collective Security Council may suspend its participation in the activities of the organization’s bodies or expel it. Decisions on such matters concerning that member state shall be taken without counting its vote.