Putin will hold the CSTO summit: Armenia is among the topics discussed.
A session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be held on November 11 in Moscow.
One of the main issues at the summit will be Armenia's position in the organization: Yerevan has not paid membership fees for more than two years, and the issue of depriving the country of voting rights may be examined at the meeting, writes TASS.
During the event, it is also planned to summarize the results of the joint work done within the framework of the Russian chairmanship, outline priority directions for the further development of the CSTO and discuss current issues on the regional and international agenda. As a result, the leaders of the CSTO countries will present declarations on approaches to cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and adopt a strategy against terrorism until 2030. It is planned to consolidate the common approaches of the CSTO member states in the final declaration of the Collective Security Council. In addition, the summit participants will make decisions on the improvement of air defense and the development of the CSTO's collective aviation forces.
In addition, during the summit, a decision will be made to transfer the chairmanship of the CSTO to Tajikistan in 2027.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexander Pankin, previously told TASS that Armenia has not paid its debts for more than two years, so that on November 11, at the CSTO Collective Security Council session, the issue may well be examined and a decision made to deprive it of voting rights in the organization until the dues are paid. This information was confirmed on November 10 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
At the same time, according to Lavrov, the door to the CSTO "does not close" for Armenia and no one will kick it out. The head of the Russian diplomatic department also reported that Yerevan has not received an official request to leave the organization.