In particular, the Head of State commented on the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his country's withdrawal from the CSTO. The President said that such decisions are made not by the Prime Minister, but by Parliament. At the same time, no official notifications have been received from Yerevan in this regard so far, and the Belarusian leader said, “I think sensible people prevail in Parliament. There should be no grudges against us, against the CSTO, and this has been voiced more than once. It is necessary to understand that Azerbaijan is not a stranger for us, for all CSTO members.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the talks related to this issue, “We react absolutely calmly, and we discussed this problem indirectly with the presidents in Kazan. That was an absolutely calm conversation, nobody was going crazy. If Armenia needs to be part of the CSTO, then [it needs to know] that we have not expelled anyone, we have always supported Armenia and we will support it as our ally. If it does not want to stay in the CSTO, then the organisation will not collapse.”
At the same time, the former Armenian authorities did not want to resolve problematic issues with Azerbaijan peacefully for a long time, although the Azerbaijani authorities put a lot of effort into that process. The Head of State repeatedly called for a solution to the conflict, but it caused a nervous reaction on the part of Armenia.
At the same time, the Belarusian leader believes the current solution to the conflict has become the most acceptable for everyone, “Did Armenia want us to get involved in the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan? That war would still be going on and thousands would have died. I think that Azerbaijan and Armenia have eventually came to the right solution – though, unfortunately doing that by means of the war. What was our position supposed to be? Armenians are our close, dear people, but is Azerbaijan a stranger?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also stated that there had been no reasons for the CSTO’s joining the conflict. “There was absolutely no reason for us. There is no need to be resentful. Hurt people are seldom at ease,” he added.
Speculating on why official Yerevan is making statements about its withdrawal from the CSTO, the Belarusian leader shared his observations. Actually, the Armenian authorities spend a lot of time in France, which has allegedly promised to provide support in the economy and military field. “In short, Yerevan will pick up the burden and carry it… No one will carry anyone! You can see what is happening in France, so the politicians in Yerevan need to wake up. They should not lose what they have,” he noted.
The Head of State mentioned Georgia as an example. This country ‘made an attempt to live with ease in the West’, but it is now establishing normal relations with Russia and Belarus. At the same time, Georgia has already been forgotten in the United States. “It is necessary to draw appropriate conclusions. No one in the West needs them. There are thousands of problems there,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The Belarusian leader advised the Armenian side not to rush and not to make sudden movements, “No need to lose what you already hold in your hands. It is easy to withdraw, but it will be difficult to join later. No need to go out, no need to freeze something. Don’t hurry! Is there any need in these abrupt movements? Time changes a lot, and the situation in the world will change – so such compact states as Armenia, Belarus and others do not need to make sudden movements. There is no need for Armenians to hurry. It seems to me that Nikol Vovaevich [Pashinyan] was in a hurry and made an emotional statement.”
