Controversial Statement from Russia: Armenia May Lose Voting Rights in CSTO

The decision to deprive Armenia of its voting rights in the CSTO will require consensus. This was stated by Viktor Vasiliev, the permanent representative of Russia to the organization, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to him, the discussion of this issue will likely take place on November 11 during the upcoming session of the CSTO Collective Security Council scheduled in Moscow.

Vasiliev noted that Article 25 of the CSTO Charter allows for the suspension of the right of a member state to propose its citizens for quota positions and voting rights only if that state has not paid its dues to the organization's budget for two years. At the same time, he emphasized that such a situation has actually been ongoing for more than two years, as Armenia has not nominated its citizens for quota positions in the CSTO Secretariat and has recalled its representatives from the organization's Joint Staff.