Armenian FM skips CSTO meeting in Kyrgyzstan

A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member states has opened in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

The ministers are expected to discuss international and regional developments and their implications for the security of CSTO countries, Caliber.Az reports, citing Kyrgyz media.

However, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan did not attend the session, according to Armenian media.

The CSTO comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.

In February–March 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan would “freeze its participation” in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), citing the alliance as a direct security threat to Armenia’s sovereignty, particularly after the CSTO failed to respond to Azerbaijani border incursions. 

This freeze involved Armenia skipping CSTO summits and military exercises, with Pashinyan declaring that the country was no longer engaged in CSTO processes.

By May 2024, Armenia escalated its stance by halting financial contributions to the CSTO’s 2024 budget and officially refusing to sign the budget document.

The country also declined to participate in CSTO drills and negotiations, further signalling its estrangement from the alliance.

On June 12, 2024, Pashinyan announced that Armenia would formally exit the CSTO at an unspecified later date, declaring, “We will leave… Don’t worry, we won’t return.”

Despite this, Armenia remained a formal member as procedural steps were still pending.

Finally, on March 31, 2025, Yerevan officially informed the CSTO secretariat that it would not participate in the 2024 budget, reaffirming its financial disengagement from the alliance.

By Aghakazim Guliyev