If the state does not want to protect itself, it will not have these security systems

The last turning developments in the relations between Armenia and the CSTO took place on November 11, 2026, during the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council held in Moscow. at the summit (in which Armenia did not participate), a decision was made to deprive Armenia of the right to vote in the organization, as well as the possibility of appointing representatives to responsible positions in the organization.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian President, justified this by the fact that Armenia has not fulfilled its statutory obligations and paid membership fees in the last 3 years. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov, also stated that the CSTO members considered it appropriate to limit Armenia’s access to the organization’s closed documents.

Although CSTO Secretary General and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the CSTO door is not closed for Armenia, official Yerevan reveals in its statements that it does not want a return. At the end of October 2026, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan announced that Armenia’s return to CSTO is no longer possible, and at the beginning of November 2026, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia’s interest in CSTO is over. He also noted that Yerevan is not concerned about possible removal and will take note of such a decision, as it will free Armenia from the dilemma of “to leave or not to leave”.

What will be the possible consequences of this process, what will be the CSTO alternative?․ 168․am addressed these questions as well political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan.  

“The alternative to the CSTO is NATO,” the political scientist noted, then responding to our clarification as to whether the authorities are going in this direction, he added, “The authorities are not taking the Republic of Armenia in any direction. lead only in one direction, where the statehood is destroyed. Therefore, one place will be deprived of voice, another place – what will happen, in reality nothing changes. If the state does not have a security policy, has no desire to defend itself, everything surrenders to the enemy, the effect of these security systems becomes zero. As doctors say, when the patient wants to die, medicine is powerless.

Will we be in the CSTO, will we have a vote or not? we had the right to vote, how did Armenia use it?”

The political scientist, among the security challenges, also mentioned the issue of the weakening of the army.

“They say that the guarantor of our peace is not our armed forces, but I don’t know… The promises of Erdogan and Aliyev. For the government implementing such a policy, what is the question of staying in the CSTO, or the question of stopping any other security cooperation? Nothing. It is their targeted policy that they are implementing. And here, one entity wins, the government itself, which most likely has some orders or tasks, which it fulfills, instead it gets the opportunity to rule,” concluded the political scientist.