CSTO to adjust its budget as Armenia stops financing 

Taking into account the Armenian leadership’s refusal to make the assessed contribution, the CSTO budget for the current year needs to be adjusted, the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti.

“The respective draft decision of the Collective Security Council is currently under development,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan reportedly said that Armenia would refrain from signing up to the November 23, 2023 decision ‘On the CSTO budget for 2024’, and participating in the financing of the organization’s activities.

“The CSTO Secretariat and the CSTO Joint Staff have reduced their expenditure by some parameters, but primarily due to Yerevan’s withdrawal or non-appointment to quota positions of its employees in the relevant structures,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

The ministry noted that the work will continue in a regular mode.

“The Secretariat will use the available reserves in some cases. Therefore, the work will continue in a regular mode,” it said.

Commenting on the situation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “this is not the first statement by Yerevan on ‘freezing’ its participation and the termination of financing of the CSTO.”