Armenia refuses to finance CSTO, which includes Russia
Archive photo: Armenia refused to finance the CSTO (odkb.csto.org)
Armenia will not finance the activities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization this year, according to Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ani Badalyan.
The diplomatic ministry clarified that Armenia will abstain from participating in the 2024 Collective Security Treaty (CSTO) on budgetary issues.
Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov previously said that Armenia wants to refrain from funding the CSTO.
The publication clarified that Armenia has not withdrawn from the CSTO but does not participate in the organization's activities, including joint military exercises. The CSTO members are Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
What preceded it
Relations between Armenia and Russia have deteriorated sharply over the past six months. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly accused the Kremlin leadership of failing to fulfill commitments to Yerevan.
In February, Pashinyan said that the government was ready to legally freeze the country's participation in the CSTO if the organization's position on Armenia's territorial integrity did not change.
Later, he added that Armenia might withdraw from the CSTO if its zone of responsibility within the country was not explained.
