No membership fee paid to CSTO, says FM

Last year, the Republic of Armenia allocated 1.975 billion drams for membership fees to international organizations.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan briefed lawmakers on the matter during a joint committee hearing on the government’s 2025 budget report.

He noted that Armenia pays membership fees to 113 international organizations, programs, and conventions.

“In 2025, in fact, payments were made to 101 organizations. In 2025, we did not pay a membership fee to the CSTO for our participation—simply because we did not participate in the activities of that organization,” Mirzoyan said. Armenia has frozen its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 2024 due to the bloc’s failure to fulfill its obligations.

Speaking about international cooperation platforms, the Foreign Minister specifically highlighted Armenia’s accession last year to the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, making Armenia the 125th contracting party to the Permanent Court of Arbitration. During the reporting period, Armenia was also, for the first time in its history, elected as a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2025–2029 term.

Additionally, at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Armenia was chosen as the next host country of the conference.

Among other new international cooperation developments last year, Mirzoyan highlighted Armenia’s participation in the establishment of the Board of Peace, an initiative launched by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“These are also indicators of our activity in multilateral international relations, of our interests, and of the growing interest in us,” the Foreign Minister said.