Armenia has been stripped of its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and can no longer nominate its representatives for senior positions in the alliance. The restrictions were approved by the leaders of member states during a summit in Moscow, according to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The decision followed years of Yerevan failing to fulfill its obligations to the organization. Peskov explained that the participating countries acted in accordance with the CSTO charter when deciding to impose the restrictions on Armenia.

Beyond the measures against Yerevan, the Moscow summit addressed several major international security issues. In their final declaration, the heads of state expressed regret that Russia’s proposal to preserve the existing arrangements on strategic offensive weapons after the relevant treaty expired had not been implemented.

The organization also addressed the protection of international maritime trade. Its member states opposed the seizure and inspection of merchant ships whenever such actions violate international law.

Another major concern was the growing threat of an arms race in outer space. The CSTO leaders called for efforts to prevent such a development and urged the start of international negotiations aimed at prohibiting the deployment of weapons in space.