June 13, Pozirk. Armenia has recalled its ambassador from Minsk, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalyan has said on Facebook without specifying further details.
The move marks a low point in relations strained by the Belarusian leader’s visit to Azerbaijan last month.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said his country will not send any officials to Belarus as long as Alaksandar Łukašenka is in office, News.am reported.
The remark follows Pashinyan’s announcement that he planned to withdraw Armenia from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The Armenian premier was angered by Łukašenka’s declaration of support for Azerbaijan and his tour of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijani forces captured last fall.
“A CSTO country leader states that he participated in preparations for the war, encouraged, believed in and wished Azerbaijan’s victory,” Pashinyan said. “After that, am I supposed to meet with the head of Belarus in the CSTO format to discuss something? . . . From now on, I will never go to Belarus again as long as Alaksandar Łukašenka remains president.”
Yerevan may not pull out of the CSTO if Belarus leaves the bloc or if Łukašenka apologizes to Armenians and explains his actions, Pashinyan noted.
He told Armenia’s MPs yesterday that individual CSTO members had been plotting against Armenia together with Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja welcomed Armenia’s decision to freeze its participation in the Moscow-led military alliance.
“This step underscores Armenia’s commitment to its national sovereignty,” she said on X. “The people of Armenia deserve a free, democratic and peaceful future in Europe. I hope for closer cooperation with Armenia.”
Łukašenka has betrayed Armenia like he betrayed Ukraine, she said in another post.
The opposition leader had already announced intentions to boost ties with Armenia as she met Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan on the sidelines of a Euronest conference in March.
