Pashinyan responded to Lukashenko's accusation that no one needs Armenia
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that his country seeks to develop relations not only with Russia but also with other countries. He made these remarks in response to comments by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who allegedly claimed that “nobody needs Armenia.”
According to the prime minister, he is responsible for relations between Armenia and Russia, but “Armenian-Russian relations” as a broader concept have a different meaning. Pashinyan noted that the main problem in relations between Yerevan and Moscow lies in Armenia’s desire to have alternative partners.
“Armenia has decided to have alternatives. Previously, Armenia did not have any—not only economically, but also politically,” he said.
He emphasized that Armenia has recently signed strategic partnership agreements with a number of countries, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France.
According to Pashinyan, Russia views this as a problem due to its desire for “exclusivity” in relations.
“Either these relations are exclusive, or they shouldn’t exist at all. We do not accept this approach. We say: relations are not exclusive, but they must exist,” stated the head of the Armenian government.
Pashinyan also criticized the notion that Armenia is allegedly considered a “bad partner” due to problems in its relations with Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
He cited the events of 2022, when, according to him, the CSTO failed to fulfill its functions, as well as the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Russian peacekeepers, in his view, failed to carry out their assigned tasks.
“What was so bad about the Republic of Armenia? What did Armenia do? Who did it harm?” Pashinyan asked.
He also responded to Lukashenko’s remarks that Armenia was supposedly not needed by other countries.
“Armenia is needed by China, the United States, the European Union, Iran, Georgia, France, Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. And all of these partners are just as necessary to Armenia,” the prime minister emphasized.
In recent years, relations between Armenia and Russia have deteriorated significantly. Yerevan has repeatedly stated the need to diversify its foreign policy and strengthen cooperation with the West.
Pashinyan made this statement on July 30 during a briefing following a meeting of the Armenian government, according to Panorama.am.
As a reminder, Pashinyan stated that the trade conflict with Russia could mark the beginning of the end for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Starting July 27, Russia will ban imports of dairy products from Armenia. The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation (Rosselkhoznadzor) attributed this to alleged violations discovered during inspections of Armenian dairy processing plants.
Armenia has denied Russia’s claims that its dairy products are unsafe.
