--- title: "Armenia Removes Russia from the List of Strategic Allies in Its 2026–2031 Government Program" description: "In the approved government program of Armenia for 2026–2031, Russia no longer appears as a strategic ally. Pashinyan linked this to the CSTO and Moscow's failure to fulfill security obligations." date: 2026-08-27T13:40:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/armenia-removes-russia-from-strategic-allies-2026-2031-government-program tags: [armenia, russia, csto, pashinyan, eu-integration, foreign-policy] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Armenia Removes Russia from the List of Strategic Allies in Its 2026–2031 Government Program ![Portrait of an Armenian politician against the national flag in the context of Russia being removed from the list of strategic allies in Armenia's government program for 2026–2031](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/27/armenia-vycherknula-rossiyu-iz-strategicheskikh-soyuznikov/armenia-vycherknula-rossiyu-iz-strategicheskikh-soyuznikov-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - In Armenia's 2026–2031 government program, Russia is not named a strategic ally; only the intention to "transform and deepen" the partnership is stated. - Pashinyan explained the decision by the CSTO's and Russia's failure to fulfill security obligations following the events of September 2022. - Since 2024, Armenia has frozen its CSTO participation and is refraining from financing its activities; Moscow, meanwhile, asserts that Yerevan remains a member. - Armenia is preparing to submit an application for EU membership; a referendum on Eurointegration is planned after a roadmap is agreed with Brussels. In the approved government program of Armenia for 2026–2031, Russia is no longer mentioned as a strategic ally. As reported by RBC-Ukraine citing a statement by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and relayed by Arka News Agency, the document replaces the wording on "strategic partnership" with Yerevan's intention to "transform and deepen" its partnership relations with Moscow — effectively downgrading the level and nature of the relationship from an allied format to a working one. ### "What happened in September 2022?" Pashinyan explained the decision by noting that, in his words, it is difficult to speak of a strategic partnership after the events of September 2022 and the failure of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Russia to fulfill their security obligations. "It all happened before your eyes. If I write 'strategic partnership,' you will ask: what happened in September 2022? Did the CSTO and Russia fail to fulfill their security obligations? They did not," the prime minister declared, effectively making the program's wording a response to the question of the failure of security guarantees. ### Freezing of CSTO Participation The decision fits into a broader context: in 2024, Armenia announced a freeze on its participation in the CSTO, with Pashinyan citing the organization's failure to fulfill its security obligations toward Yerevan as the reason. Armenia's Foreign Ministry additionally reported that Yerevan is refraining from financing the CSTO's activities. Thus, formal membership is preserved, but practical and financial participation is reduced to a minimum. ### Contradictory Data There are two notable inconsistencies here. First, according to Yerevan's version, Armenia has "frozen" its CSTO participation and does not take part in meetings, whereas Vladimir Putin previously stated that Armenia remains a member of the organization and supports its decisions, but does not participate in meetings; in other words, Moscow interprets the status as "membership on pause," while Yerevan — as a de facto suspension. Second, the government program explicitly states that relations with Russia will be "transformed and deepened," which contradicts the rhetoric of a complete break and points to the preservation of a pragmatic channel, even while renouncing the status of "strategic ally." Differences in the parties' wording on the CSTO status and on the depth of relations with Russia remain unresolved. ### Course Toward Europe Against the backdrop of cooling relations with Moscow, the Eurointegration vector is strengthening. RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Armenia would soon officially submit an application for EU membership. Pashinyan clarified that a nationwide referendum on Eurointegration would be held after a roadmap is agreed with Brussels. At the same time, according to available data, Yerevan does not yet see grounds for holding a referendum on choosing between EU membership and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), meaning the "either-or" question is not officially posed. ### Rhetoric at the Meeting with Putin Particular attention should be paid to an episode from Pashinyan's recent meeting with Putin: the prime minister reportedly emphasized that there are no political prisoners in Armenia and that freedom of speech is preserved. This emphasis on domestic democratic indicators in a conversation with the Russian leader is perceived as part of a broader strategy of demonstrating Yerevan's sovereign course against the backdrop of a reassessment of relations with Moscow. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Armenia removes Russia from the list of strategic allies](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/virmeniya-vikreslila-rosiyu-zi-spisku-strategichnih-1787837475.html) - Подтверждает отсутствие РФ в числе стратегических союзников в программе 2026–2031 и цитату Пашиняна о невыполнении обязательств ОДКБ/РФ. - [Armenia removes Russia from the list of strategic allies in the government program](https://fakty.com.ua/ru/svit/20260827-virmeniya-vykreslyla-rf-zi-spysku-strategichnyh-soyuznykiv-u-programi-uryadu/) - Совпадает по сути: вычеркивание РФ из стратегических союзников в правительственной программе. - [Pashinyan refuses to call Russia a strategic ally](https://www.rbc.ru/politics/27/08/2026/6a903f11eb81e7ac64068b70) - Подтверждает позицию Пашиняна об отказе от формулировки «стратегический союзник». - [Armenia removes Russia from its strategic allies](https://ru.slovoidilo.ua/2026/08/27/novost/mir/armeniya-vycherknula-rossiyu-svoix-strategicheskix-soyuznikov) - Дополнительное подтверждение факта вычеркивания РФ из числа стратегических союзников. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Is Russia mentioned as a strategic ally in Armenia's 2026–2031 government program? **A:** No. In the approved program, Russia does not appear as a strategic ally; only the intention to "transform and deepen" partnership relations with Moscow is stated. ### Q: Why did Pashinyan drop the wording "strategic partnership"? **A:** The prime minister explained this by the events of September 2022 and the CSTO's and Russia's failure to fulfill security obligations toward Armenia. ### Q: Has Armenia left the CSTO? **A:** No, there was no formal withdrawal. In 2024, Yerevan announced a freeze on its CSTO participation and refrained from financing its activities, while Moscow stated that Armenia remains a member of the organization but does not participate in its meetings. ### Q: Is Armenia planning to join the EU? **A:** According to available data, Yerevan is preparing to officially submit an application for EU membership; a referendum on Eurointegration, Pashinyan said, will be held after a roadmap is agreed with Brussels. A referendum on choosing between the EU and the EAEU is not currently planned.