CSTO

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a Russian-led military alliance formed in 1992 among several post-Soviet states, including Armenia. For decades it served as the formal backbone of Armenia’s security architecture, providing the legal basis for basing Russian troops in the country and for collective defense commitments. Armenia’s membership was long treated as the price of Russia’s security umbrella in a volatile region.

The relationship fractured after the 44-Day War of 2020, when Russia brokered the ceasefire but CSTO troops were never deployed to defend Armenia. The September 2023 Azerbaijani offensive against Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) — which resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population — exposed the alliance’s unwillingness to act on Armenia’s behalf. In 2024, Armenia formally suspended its participation in CSTO activities, effectively freezing its membership without a formal withdrawal.

Groong has covered the deterioration of Armenia’s relationship with the CSTO extensively: from the initial 2020 disillusionment through repeated CSTO summits where Armenia was isolated, the failed mediation attempts, and the domestic and foreign-policy implications of Armenia’s pivot away from the Russian security orbit toward Western security partnerships with France, the EU, and India .

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with CSTO.

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Armenia Attacked | Border Politics | Back to OSCE MG | Municipal Results | Ep #101 - Nov 14, 2021 [EP101]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Turkey, Israel, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Syria | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • Armenia under wide scale attacks by Azerbaijan @0:55
  • Border Politics @7:20
  • Azerbaijan Returns to the OSCE MG @29:49
  • Municipal elections Over the Past Weekend @44:38

Guests:

  • Arthur Martirosyan TW/@ArtMart96

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211114.html

Armenia Attacked | Border Politics | Back to OSCE MG | Municipal Results | Ep #101 - Nov 14, 2021 [EP101]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Turkey, Israel, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Syria

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • Armenia under wide scale attacks by Azerbaijan @0:55
  • Border Politics @7:20
  • Azerbaijan Returns to the OSCE MG @29:49
  • Municipal elections Over the Past Weekend @44:38

Guests:

  • Arthur Martirosyan TW/@ArtMart96

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211114.html

5-year plan | Russia Arming Armenia | Press Freedoms Cut | PaneliTopics | Ep #86 - August 22, 2021 [EP86]

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Syria, Israel, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021

Topics:

  • The Government’s 5-Year Plan
  • Is Russia Rearming Armenia? Artsakh?
  • Press Freedoms Curtailed in Parliament
  • Topics from the Panelists

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html

5-year plan | Russia Arming Armenia | Press Freedoms Cut | PaneliTopics | Ep #86 - August 22, 2021 [EP86]

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Syria, Israel, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021

Topics:

  • The Government’s 5-Year Plan
  • Is Russia Rearming Armenia? Artsakh?
  • Press Freedoms Curtailed in Parliament
  • Topics from the Panelists

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html

Lebanon | Afghanistan | Armenian Parliament | Artsakh | Ep #85 - Aug 15, 2021 [EP85]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Russia, China, Syria, Artsakh, Middle East, Economy, Genocide, Human Rights, India, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 15, 2021

Topics:

  • Lebanon in Crisis
  • Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan
  • 8th Convocation of the Parliament
  • Developments around Artsakh

Guests:

Asbed Kotchikian is an Associate Professor of political science and international relations at the American University of Armenia.

Benyamin Poghosyan is the chairman of the Center For Political and Economic Strategic Studies, a Yerevan based think tank. He was

 Read More

Lebanon | Afghanistan | Armenian Parliament | Artsakh | Ep #85 - Aug 15, 2021 [EP85]

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Russia, China, Syria, Artsakh, Middle East, Economy, Genocide, Human Rights, India, Israel, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 15, 2021

Topics:

  • Lebanon in Crisis
  • Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan
  • 8th Convocation of the Parliament
  • Developments around Artsakh

Guests:

Asbed Kotchikian is an Associate Professor of political science and international relations at the American University of Armenia.

Benyamin Poghosyan is the chairman of the Center For Political and Economic Strategic Studies, a Yerevan based think tank. He was

 Read More

Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace | Ep #80 - July 22, 2021 [EP80]

Posted on Thursday, Jul 22, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Artsakh, Ukraine, Georgia, China, India, Syria, Economy, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO, European Union | Series: cog

Armenian Foreign policy Between War and Peace A Conversation with Dr. Pietro Shakarian and Yeghia Tashjian

Topics:

  • Sparring Partners: Moscow and Ankara
  • Yerevan’s Diplomatic Dilemmas
  • Aliyev’s Appetite and Ambitions

Guests

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian
  • Yeghia Tashjian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 80 | Recorded: July 21, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210722.html