{"id":11494,"date":"2022-11-08T11:17:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T08:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/minsk-backs-azerbaijan-in-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"minsk-backs-azerbaijan-in-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11494\/","title":{"rendered":"Minsk backs Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka has backed Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n

Belarusian leader\u2019s remarks draw backlash from Yerevan<\/h2>\n

\n\t Yerevan last week struck back hard against any suggestion that it was responsible for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The statement came in response to public remarks that the Belarusian leader made at his meeting with Stanis\u0142a\u016d Za\u015b, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), on November 1.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka said that the war could have been avoided if Armenia had returned Azerbaijani territory to Azerbaijan. Yerevan dismissed the suggestion as an absurdity and questioned Minsk\u2019s commitment to the CSTO, of which both Armenia and Belarus are members. Minsk retorted that \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s position was based on reality, describing his remarks as clear and honest.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The sharp exchanges came after Azerbaijan gained some advantage in the dispute. Baku seeks a new agreement to reflect the new gains, while Yerevan has relied primarily on diplomatic efforts as it tries to keep control of the disputed region.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Armenia pins its hopes on Russia as a guarantor of security in the geopolitically hostile region. However, after the 2020 war, Russia brokered a ceasefire that resulted in Armenia losing control over parts of the region and seven adjacent districts.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Armenia appealed to Russia during this year\u2019s escalation, to no avail.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Moscow lost its geopolitical influence after it assaulted Ukraine. Its post-Soviet allies no longer see it as a reliable and powerful partner. The Kremlin\u2019s policy has come under fire recently from the Kazakh and Tajik leaders. Moscow failed to prevent a recent border clash between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Meanwhile, Turkey has taken advantage of Russia\u2019s fixation on Ukraine to expand its influence in the Caucasus.\n<\/p>\n

No help from CSTO<\/h2>\n

\n\t Armenia must have been disappointed by a half-hearted response from the Russia-dominated CSTO to its appeal to intervene. The CSTO limited its reaction to sending a commission led by Za\u015b to Transcaucasia to assess the situation.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On October 31, Vladimir Putin moderated talks between President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Three days before, the CSTO leaders held an online summit meeting at the request of Yerevan, which urged the bloc to adopt a road map for restoring Armenia\u2019s territorial integrity.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t However, the CSTO leaders just heard a report from Za\u015b but would not make any political statements or decisions.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Armenia can hardly count on the CSTO, a talk-shop involving countries with divergent interests, for support. Three of the six CSTO members are Islamic countries that tend to sympathize with Azerbaijan, a non-member of the CSTO but an Islamic state as well. Russia and Belarus have their hands full in Ukraine, so they can hardly make a meaningful contribution to conflict settlement.\n<\/p>\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka backs Azerbaijan<\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian leader shouted at Pashinyan at the October 28 CSTO summit. His critical remarks were published by the Pul Pervogo <\/span>Telegram channel run by \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t At his meeting with Za\u015b on November 1, the Belarusian leader made it clear that he was frustrated that the CSTO could not stop conflicts involving its allies. But he would not go as far as to admit that Russia\u2019s geopolitical role had faded.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In an apparent reference to Armenia, \u0141uka\u0161enka spoke against the use of the CSTO for resolving internal political issues. It was hard to reconcile his statement with his earlier remarks critical of the CSTO for its failure to intervene in internal conflicts. He was the one who prompted the CSTO to send troops to Kazakhstan in January to suppress an antigovernment uprising there.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka thinks that he is more experienced because he has been in office longer than the other leaders. He believes that it is appropriate for him to shout at and lecture younger counterparts.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He also considers himself to be second in command after Putin. Being the only Russia\u2019s ally in its war against Ukraine, he also seeks to be the Russian president\u2019s right-hand man on other matters. To emphasize his importance, he often begins sentences with \u201cPutin and I.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He casts Putin and himself as heavyweights fighting a historic battle with the West and sees other leaders and their woes less important. He lashed out at Armenia for appealing to the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for assistance in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Whereas before \u0141uka\u0161enka had pretended to be a neutral party, he unequivocally backed Azerbaijan in his conversation with Za\u015b.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cThe Armenians have acknowledged that \u2018this is not our land, this is Azerbaijani land,\u2019 except for Karabakh. So give it back. If they returned these districts then, when I proposed it, there would be no war. Ilham [Aliyev] would not have any reason to start this war . . . The Azerbaijani president was cornered. He was left with no other option but to use force,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Minsk maintains close ties with Azerbaijan<\/h2>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka backed Aliyev because he sees Azerbaijan as a potentially more lucrative partner than Armenia. Belarus has sold weapons and other goods to Azerbaijan.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t There is also a factor of solidarity of dictators. \u0141uka\u0161enka has always disliked Pashinyan because he came to power on the back of a popular uprising. Pashinyan\u2019s congratulation on \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s reelection in 2020 has not softened his attitude.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Speaking about the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict, \u0141uka\u0161enka said, \u201cThey have killed nearly 300 people there, and yet they are still arguing about something.\u201d The remark sounds especially cynical in the light of Belarus\u2019 complicity in the Russian aggression, which killed tens of thousands in Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka has backed Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Belarusian leader\u2019s remarks draw backlash from Yerevan Yerevan last week struck back hard against any suggestion that it was responsible for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The statement came in response to public remarks that the Belarusian leader […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11494","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMinsk backs Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka has backed Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. 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