Armenia sees no way back to CSTO after freezing membership, lawmaker says

A ruling Civil Contract party lawmaker has said Armenia sees no way back to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), having frozen its participation in the alliance several years ago.

Civil Contract MP Sargis Khandanyan made the remarks during a press briefing, commenting on Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin’s statement that the CSTO could discuss suspending Armenia’s voting rights at its November 11 summit.

“There is no reason or circumstance that could force us to activate our participation in the CSTO. You know what issues led Armenia to freeze its participation, and those issues have not been resolved to this day. We have not even seen a political-level statement condemning what happened to Armenia’s sovereign territory in 2022-2023,” Khandanyan said, referring to Azerbaijan’s repeated attacks on Armenia’s sovereign territory during that period.

Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO’s activities since February 2024. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the CSTO had failed to fulfill its security commitments to Armenia.