The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov has said that Armenia has “effectively already withdrawn” from the organization.

“We send all documents for consideration under domestic procedures, including to Armenia. In every case, we receive a response stating that the Armenian side does not participate in discussions or decision-making processes but has no objection to decisions being adopted in a limited format. In other words, they do not obstruct our work. The organization’s normal operations continue, and we make decisions. They do not participate in our core activities, military exercises or other similar events. Therefore, I believe this fully complies with Article 25 of the CSTO Charter. They have effectively already withdrawn from the CSTO,” the Russian news agency TASS quoted Masadykov as saying.

Article 25 of the CSTO Charter, cited by the secretary general, stipulates that a member state loses its voting rights if it fails to pay its membership contributions and fill positions allocated to it under the quota system. The CSTO secretary general did not rule out that the leaders of the organization’s member states could address Armenia’s membership at a meeting of the Collective Security Council scheduled to take place in Moscow on November 11. Regarding the possibility of Armenia’s formal withdrawal from the organization, the secretary general said that if the issue is put on the agenda of the Collective Security Council meeting, a decision could be adopted. Armenia has frozen its participation in CSTO activities since February 2024, citing the bloc’s failure to fulfill its security obligations.