Pashinyan says Yerevan would accept expulsion from CSTO
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks to journalists, May 28, 2026 (Photo: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 11 that Yerevan would accept any decision by members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to expel the country from the bloc, amid growing tensions between Armenia and its traditional security partners.
“I cannot comment on the situation within the CSTO. I know that there is a mechanism for expulsion from the CSTO, and it exists,” Pashinyan said during a briefing, according to Armenian state news agency Armenpress.
“If the member states decide to expel Armenia, we will have to take that decision into account. There is nothing else for us to do,” he added.
Armenia formally suspended its participation in the CSTO in February 2024, accusing the alliance of failing to fulfill its security commitments during escalating tensions with Azerbaijan.
During final campaign debates on June 5, Pashinyan openly raised the possibility of Armenia leaving the organization altogether.
The issue escalated further after Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed on June 8 that Armenia had not paid its 2025 membership contribution because it was no longer participating in the alliance’s activities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 10 that CSTO members had agreed to examine possible measures against Armenia over two years of unpaid contributions.
Under Article 25 of the CSTO charter, member states that fail to meet their financial obligations for two consecutive years can lose voting rights and the ability to nominate officials for positions within the organization until their debts are settled.
Article 20 of the charter also allows for the expulsion of a member state for violating the organization’s rules, with the decision taken without the participation of the country concerned.
The CSTO, established in 1992, currently includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Armenia effectively froze its participation after losing confidence in the alliance following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Yerevan has repeatedly criticized Moscow and the CSTO for failing to intervene during the crisis, which ended with Azerbaijan restoring full control over the region and the collapse of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
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