New details have appeared of the statement which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has made during his press conference with Russian media in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, and with respect to Belarus selling weapons to Azerbaijan.

In particular, Lukashenko spoke about the conversation he had had with Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the CIS summit, and he commented on Yerevan’s criticism of Minsk for selling weapons to Azerbaijan.

“In the presence of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, I told him [Pashinyan]. It was at the CIS summit; [Azerbaijan President] Ilham [Aliyev] was there, too,” the Belarusian president said. “I told him, ‘Nikol, let’s put all the endpoints. Who is in first place in sale of arms to Azerbaijan? Who? Russia.’

“And I [asked] him, ‘Why did you ‘swallow’ your tongue? Tell him [Putin], criticize Vladimir Vladimirovich. So, are you afraid? And who is in second place [in selling arms to Azerbaijan]? Israel. And the third—Turkey, and Belarus is only in fourth or fifth place—and that, considering the Polonez [rocket system made by Belarus]. If it hadn’t been for the Polonez, we [Belarus] would have been the tenth. Well, why do you ‘attack’ Belarus? Do you ‘attack’ your own so that the foreigners realize? Well, you say, and I will keep silent.’ There was such a conversation. Why am I wrong? Why am I an ‘anti-Armenian’ man? Armenians live at us [Belarus] better than in Armenia.”