I Apologized Not to Putin, but to Pashinyan: Lukashenko

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated during a press conference held today that the political maneuvering regarding the appointment of a new CSTO Secretary-General was orchestrated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He recounted that when Pashinyan called him, he asked why General Movses Hakobyan had been arrested on political grounds.

Lukashenko believes that to enhance the authority of the CSTO, it should be led by "young, talented generals." Revealing the contents of discussions in St. Petersburg, he mentioned that both the Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan posed a single question to Pashinyan: why he did not reach out to them for consultations before making significant decisions.

“The problem was created not by us, but by Pashinyan,” said the Belarusian President. According to Lukashenko, by creating this political maneuver, the Armenian Prime Minister effectively involved state leaders in discussions regarding Armenia's domestic issues. At the same time, Lukashenko stated that he apologized to Pashinyan for the dispute concerning the CSTO Secretary-General. “I did not apologize to Putin; I apologized to Nikol (Nikol Pashinyan) for the dispute surrounding the CSTO presidency,” the Belarusian leader said, as reported by Belarusian Sputnik.