Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, stated that Armenia is deliberately not paying its membership fees to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), thereby signaling a halt in cooperation within the bloc.
According to him, Yerevan is aiming to reorient toward the West while retaining economic ties with Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries.
"I don't think unpaid fees are the main issue when evaluating Armenia’s CSTO participation. It's clear they are deliberately withholding payments as cooperation within the CSTO has essentially ceased. At the same time, they remain within the EAEU and, moreover, try to convince their citizens—those concerned about such matters—that it is possible to exit military and political alliances with Russia, pivot westward, and still enjoy the benefits of economic ties and development rooted in relations with Russia and other CSTO and EAEU states," Zatulin said, according to Gazeta.ru.
He added that "Armenia's future and direction will be decided in the 2026 elections," expressing hope that citizens will question the government, which he claimed has "betrayed everything."
"A fundamental debate is clearly unfolding over where Armenia is headed. This discussion is profound, and Armenia’s fate and foreign policy orientation will be determined solely by next year's elections. I sincerely hope Armenians will start questioning a government that has lost everything, surrendered everything, betrayed everything, and still remains in power," he stated.
On June 5, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed the country had not paid its 2024 CSTO membership fee. Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin warned that failure to pay by the end of 2025 may prompt CSTO countries to consider "different scenarios." Armenia's foreign intelligence agency previously assessed in a report that Yerevan is unlikely to resume CSTO participation in 2025.
