Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan Boycotts CSTO Meeting in New York

Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, has boycotted a meeting of foreign ministers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states, which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This absence was confirmed through a photo showing representatives from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in attendance, but no one representing Armenia.

Mirzoyan’s decision to skip the meeting follows a pattern of disengagement from CSTO events. Earlier this year, on June 21, he also chose not to attend the CSTO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Despite boycotting the CSTO meeting, Mirzoyan has other diplomatic engagements scheduled in New York. On Thursday, Mirzoyan held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. 

Armenia’s absence from CSTO gatherings is part of a broader shift in its relationship with the Russia-led military alliance. In February 2024, Armenia announced that it would freeze its membership in the CSTO. Following this decision, the Armenian government also refused to pay its membership fees to the organization.

The CSTO is a regional security alliance made up of six post-Soviet countries, including Armenia. However, Armenia has expressed growing dissatisfaction with the CSTO’s lack of support, particularly during times of conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. Many in Armenia feel the CSTO did not offer sufficient assistance during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and subsequent border tensions with Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has hinted that Armenia may reconsider its future within the CSTO. During a speech to the Armenian National Assembly on June 12, Pashinyan did not rule out the possibility of leaving the organization altogether, depending on how the CSTO addresses Armenia’s security concerns.

While Armenia’s relationship with the CSTO remains uncertain, the country is increasingly engaging in diplomacy with Western nations. The upcoming meeting between Mirzoyan, Blinken, and Bayramov is part of ongoing U.S.-mediated efforts to resolve conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. These diplomatic talks have become more frequent since the 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh, with the U.S. playing a more active role in mediating discussions between the two countries.

Mirzoyan’s absence from CSTO meetings may signal Armenia’s growing frustration with the organization and its willingness to explore other diplomatic and security partnerships, particularly with Western countries.

The Armenian Report reached out to Ani Badalyan, the spokesperson for Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, but she has not yet responded to our inquiry.