Mirzoyan sees no path for Armenia to return to CSTO

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has ruled out a return to active membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), saying he cannot envisage Armenia’s future participation in the bloc.

“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that, according to the Sputnik Armenia news agency, Mirzoyan made the remarks to journalists in parliament while commenting on statements by CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov at a briefing in Moscow:

“In the current geopolitical realities, the situation is quite complex. I believe a final decision should be made collectively. Personally, I cannot envisage in what form or how Armenia could return to the CSTO,” Mirzoyan said.

CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov said at a briefing in Moscow that he hoped Armenia’s leadership would eventually make an objective decision on the format of its participation in the alliance.

However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan firmly said, while presenting the government’s five-year action program, that Yerevan had no plans to return to the CSTO. Pashinyan added that he would welcome a decision by the organization to expel Armenia from membership, stressing that Yerevan would not resume its activities within the alliance.

Armenia announced in February 2024 that it had de facto “frozen” its participation in the CSTO. Yerevan’s leadership has sought to justify the move by saying allies failed to meet their treaty obligations to Armenia in 2021-2022. Yerevan has also refused to pay its membership contributions to the organization’s budget.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement in June 2026 that, due to Armenia’s financial debts, the CSTO could consider invoking a provision of its charter allowing appropriate measures against member states that fail to meet their obligations.

Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are currently members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.