The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will consider applying a charter provision related to member states that fail to meet their obligations due to Armenia’s non-payment of membership dues to the organization’s budget, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“What should be done in this situation? We discussed this issue today. Armenia’s debt to the CSTO budget has remained outstanding for more than two years, and such a situation is предусмотрена by the CSTO Charter. Today we agreed to consider the possibility of applying the relevant article of the CSTO Charter,” Lavrov told reporters, according to RIA Novosti.

Under Article 20 of the CSTO Charter, if a member state fails to settle its debt to the organization’s budget within two years, the Collective Security Council may decide to suspend the nomination of that country’s citizens to quota-based positions within the organization and deprive the member state of voting rights in CSTO bodies until the debt is fully repaid.

In addition, the same article provides that if a member state fails to comply with the charter, decisions of the council, or other decisions adopted for their implementation, the Collective Security Council may suspend that country’s participation in the activities of CSTO bodies or expel it from the organization. Decisions on such matters concerning a member state are adopted without counting that state’s vote.

Yerevan froze its participation in the CSTO in February 2024. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has not ruled out the possibility of Armenia leaving the alliance if the CSTO does not answer Armenia’s question regarding the boundaries of its area of responsibility within the country. Armenia has not paid membership dues for two years.