Armenia may be denied voting rights in CSTO next week - Russian Foreign Ministry The CSTO Collective Security Council may decide next week to deny Armenia voting rights in the organization. This is what Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin told TASS. "Armenia has not paid its debts for more than two years, so it is certainly possible to consider the issue and decide on a temporary suspension of its membership - more precisely, to deprive it of the right to vote until the payments are made. This is a purely technical point provided for by the Convention, a specific article thereof. So there might be such a result, but it depends on the president's decision," he said. Pankin recalled that the Russian Federation sits at the head of the CSTO and is responsible for the entire agenda. "The CSTO summit will be held; it will be preceded by a tripartite meeting of the foreign, defense and security council secretaries. The issue of Armenia is perhaps not the most important, perhaps, but it is perhaps the most interesting for the public, because the CSTO deals with cooperation, shared tasks and goals," he noted. In response to the question of whether this issue will be considered in next week's events, Penkin noted: "Probably, yes, it can be considered, but it all depends on whether everyone agrees to consider it or not. I think it will count." The next session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held on November 11 in Moscow.

Armenia may be denied voting rights in CSTO next week - Russian Foreign Ministry The CSTO Collective Security Council may decide next week to deny Armenia voting rights in the organization. This is what Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin told TASS. "Armenia has not paid its debts for more than two years, so it is certainly possible to consider the issue and decide on a temporary suspension of its membership - more precisely, to deprive it of the right to vote until the payments are made. This is a purely technical point provided for by the Convention, a specific article thereof. So there might be such a result, but it depends on the president's decision," he said. Pankin recalled that the Russian Federation sits at the head of the CSTO and is responsible for the entire agenda. "The CSTO summit will be held; it will be preceded by a tripartite meeting of the foreign, defense and security council secretaries. The issue of Armenia is perhaps not the most important, perhaps, but it is perhaps the most interesting for the public, because the CSTO deals with cooperation, shared tasks and goals," he noted. In response to the question of whether this issue will be considered in next week's events, Penkin noted: "Probably, yes, it can be considered, but it all depends on whether everyone agrees to consider it or not. I think it will count." The next session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held on November 11 in Moscow.