Armenia may be stripped of voting rights in CSTO next week: Russian MFA

The CSTO Collective Security Council may decide next week to strip Armenia of its voting rights in the organization, Alexander Pankin, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, told TASS.

“Armenia has not paid its membership dues for more than two years, so the issue may well be considered and a decision may be made to temporarily suspend its membership, or more precisely, to strip it of its voting rights until the dues are paid. This is a purely technical matter provided for by the Charter, in a specific article. So that may be the outcome, but it depends on the president’s decision,” he said.

Pankin noted that Russia holds the CSTO chairmanship and is responsible for the entire agenda. “There will be a CSTO summit, preceded by a joint meeting of foreign ministers, defense ministers and secretaries of security councils. The Armenia issue may not be the most important one, but it may be the most interesting for the public, because the CSTO is about cooperation and shared tasks and goals,” he said.

Asked whether the issue would be considered at next week’s meetings, Pankin said: “Probably yes, it may be considered, but it all depends on whether all the other members agree to consider it. I think it will be considered.”

The next session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held in Moscow on November 11.