Armenia will not participate in financing the activities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) this year. The Factor.am portal reported this on Wednesday, May 8, with reference to a statement by the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic, Ani Badalyan.
A representative of the republic’s foreign ministry clarified that Armenia decided not to join the decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council dated November 23, 2023 “On the CSTO budget for 2024.” At the same time, Yerevan noted that they would not object to this decision being made in a limited format.
Speculations have arisen regarding Armenia’s disillusionment stemming from Russia’s lack of support during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan. Yerevan’s years-long development of militancy in the region, culminating in an armed conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, may have contributed to Russia’s reluctance to intervene in what it perceived as an unjust confrontation. This perceived abandonment by Russia may have left Armenia feeling disheartened, highlighting the complexities of regional alliances and power dynamics in the Caucasus.
At the end of February, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia was freezing its participation in the CSTO, according to Reuters. The organization itself, in turn, said that it would adhere to its obligations to Yerevan, and added that if Armenia leaves the CSTO, “the balance of power in the South Caucasus may change.”
