Armenia has not paid those fees ever since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced in early 2024 an effective suspension of its membership in the military alliance. It began boycotting high-level meetings, military exercises and other activities of the CSTO even before that announcement.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told the RIA Novosti news agency that Russia and other ex-Soviet countries making up the CSTO “could consider various scenarios” if Yerevan does not pay up by the end of this year. Pankin did not speculate about their possible response, saying only that they “probably won't kick anyone out” of the alliance.
The CSTO membership freeze reflected a broader deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations. Pashinian has been seeking to reorient Armenia towards the West in response to what he sees as Russia’s and the CSTO’s failure to honor their security commitments to the South Caucasus state.
Pashinian declared in September that Yerevan’s relationship with its ex-Soviet allies is likely to reach the “point of no return” because the CSTO poses an existential threat to his country. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claim, arguing that Pashinian is still careful not to leave the alliance altogether. Senior Russian officials have repeatedly said that Western powers cannot offer any viable alternatives to Armenia’s security and economic development.
In January this year, Pashinian’s government raised questions about Armenia’s membership in another Russian-led bloc, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), when it endorsed a bill calling for the country’s eventual accession to the European Union. Moscow warned that the move marked the beginning of Yerevan’s withdrawal from the EEU which gives Armenian exporters tariff-free access to the Russian market.
Armenian leaders responded by saying that they have no plans yet to leave the trade bloc. The Armenian parliament unexpectedly postponed last week the EU-related bill’s adoption in the second and final reading, fueling media speculation that Pashinian now wants to mend fences with Moscow due to the unfolding thaw in U.S.-Russian relations.