Ambassador on the Foreign Policy Implications of Pashinyan's Statements Regarding Belarus

Statements made by Pashinyan regarding Belarus were intended for a domestic audience, but they will have foreign policy implications and create difficulties in bilateral relations. This was stated by Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Gagik Galachyan in an interview with NEWS.am.

“I do not want to justify Belarus for its support of Azerbaijan, but this statement (by Pashinyan) was made a month too late. It should have been made at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day of Aliyev and Lukashenko's meeting, not voiced from Pashinyan's lips,” he noted.

In his assessment, the current authorities are unable to build anything in foreign policy, instead only successfully destroying everything. “Apparently, Pashinyan wanted to show his Western partners how easily he can sever ties with the leader of an unpleasant country for them,” Galachyan remarked.

Regarding the announcement about halting visits of Armenian officials to Belarus, the ambassador recalled that events are also taking place within the framework of the EAEU, so it is difficult to say how this will affect Armenia's work within the Union.

“Against the backdrop of criticism regarding the preparation for war by two CSTO countries against Armenia,” the ambassador raised the question of why Armenian authorities are striving to improve relations with Turkey, which has openly participated in military actions against Armenia and is part of Erdogan's oath.

“Where has the dignity gone, which the Prime Minister spoke about? This is about yet another PR campaign. Every step must be calculated and correspond to the country's interests,” emphasized Galachyan.

He noted that expectations from the CSTO in Armenia have long been exaggerated. “It has mutual assistance mechanisms, but these do not automatically imply involvement with another country in conflict. For that, the CSTO would have to make a special decision at the level of all member countries' leaders. In other words, decisions depend on the positions of individual CSTO member countries. If we are ruining bilateral relations with partners but at the same time demand a favorable decision for Armenia, it is illogical. Furthermore, participation in the CSTO has always been important for Armenia primarily from the perspective of acquiring military-technical components and purchasing weapons at domestic prices,” concluded the ambassador.