Armenia stops financing CSTO amid growing rift
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Armenia announced that it would stop financing the CSTO alliance led by Russia as it accuses Moscow of neglecting it and its security demands.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attends a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Union at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2024 (Pool photo via AP)
Armenia announced on Wednesday its decision to halt financial contributions to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) following the suspension of its membership in the Russian-led military alliance.
In a statement to the Sputnik news agency, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalian declared that Armenia would abstain from endorsing the November 23, 2023 decision regarding the CSTO's budget for 2024. Consequently, Armenia will no longer partake in funding the organization's operations.
Badalian emphasized that while Armenia takes this stance, it will not obstruct other member states from fulfilling their financial obligations to the CSTO.
Over the past year, Armenia has refrained from engaging in high-level meetings, military drills, and other CSTO activities, effectively suspending its membership, as articulated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in February.
Pashinyan has consistently warned of Armenia's potential withdrawal from the alliance of six former Soviet states unless its concerns are addressed.
Despite Armenia's actions, the Russian Foreign Ministry affirmed last week that Armenia remains a full-fledged member of the CSTO and is therefore obligated to fulfill its duties to the organization.
Accusations of neglect
Armenia's appeal for support from Russia and other CSTO members during Azerbaijan's military offensive along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in September 2022 went unanswered, prompting accusations of neglect from Armenia. However, Moscow refutes these claims.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Pashinyan's administration in March of undermining Russian-Armenian relations at the behest of Western influences.
Armenia abstained from attending a CSTO summit last year. "We believe that the CSTO did not fulfill its objectives vis-a-vis Armenia in 2021 and 2022," Pashinyan said in the interview, accusing Moscow of leading a "coordinated propaganda campaign" against him and his government.
As a signal of its aspirations for fresh security assurances, Yerevan is aiming to increase reliance on its Western allies, particularly France and the United States, rather than on Russia.
For years, Moscow has served as the primary mediator in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, but its involvement has been hampered by its two-year special operation in Ukraine.
However, Armenia officially became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the beginning of February, despite warnings from Moscow urging the nation against doing so.
As a result, Armenia is now obligated to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he enters Armenian territory, according to an ICC arrest warrant issued for the Russian leader in March 2023.
