Will Russia Participate in the Conflict Resolution Between the Armenian Prime Minister and the Belarusian President? – Galuzin

For Moscow, it is difficult to explain the Armenian authorities' tough stance towards their Belarusian counterparts. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in response to a question regarding whether Russia would participate in resolving the conflict between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“Alexander Lukashenko has always emphasized Minsk's interest in stability and security in the South Caucasus. Even in the most difficult times, the initiatives of the Belarusian leader were aimed at reconciling the warring parties. Minsk and Yerevan are allies with whom we are developing multilateral cooperation. Armenia and Belarus are members of the CIS, CSTO, and EAEU. Moscow is interested in resolving the complex issues between our friends as soon as possible. In any case, we hope that the temporary disagreements will not negatively impact the promotion of cooperation within the framework of common integration associations,” said Galuzin.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister urged Yerevan and Minsk to recognize the importance of the moment, as new outlines of a world order emerge, in which Moscow would like to see not only Belarus but also Armenia.

Earlier, Pashinyan, speaking in parliament about Armenia-CSTO relations, stated that neither he nor any representative would ever visit Belarus as long as its president is Lukashenko. Pashinyan recalled Lukashenko's statement that he participated in preparing for the 44-day war, encouraged, believed, and wanted Azerbaijan to win. “How can I then sit down in the CSTO format with the President of Belarus to discuss issues?” declared Pashinyan.