Armenia could restore its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after settling its outstanding membership fees, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said.

Axar.az reports, citing Russian media, on November 11, CSTO leaders decided at a summit in Moscow to strip Armenia of its voting rights and its right to appoint representatives to senior positions within the organization.

"Once Armenia resolves the issue of repaying its outstanding membership fees, it can be reinstated in terms of sending its staff and participating in the work of the Collective Security Treaty Organization," he told reporters following the CSTO summit in Moscow.

He also noted that the decision rests with Armenia's leadership.

On November 5, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the republic was no longer interested in the CSTO, adding that Yerevan had "lost interest" in the organization.

The CSTO is a regional international organization established by several post-Soviet states to ensure collective security. Its main objectives are to strengthen peace, international and regional security and stability, and collectively protect the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of its member states.

The organization currently comprises six countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Yerevan, however, has not paid its membership fees for several years.