The key to the solution to the created situation lies in the hands of the people of Belarus. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in an interview with Interfax.

Asked if he views support to Belarus through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as acceptable and possible, the foreign minister noted the following: “As far as all issues related to the CSTO and mutual assistance within the scope of the CSTO are concerned, these issues are solved through the legal-contractual base, which lays down specific rules for member states. Here we take as a basis the regulatory legal acts of the CSTO.”

If the CSTO votes to support Belarus or not, will Armenia vote ‘in favor’ or ‘against’? In response to this question, the foreign minister said the following: “To organize the vote, Belarus has to raise the issue, but it hasn’t. Belarus and Armenia are allies within the CSTO and have a rather rich bilateral agenda. We participate in the integration processes within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, and there is strong friendship between the two nations that is expressed in human relations. Of course, Armenia is not indifferent towards everything that is going on in Belarus.”

Prime Minister Pashinyan came to power after a velvet revolution during which there was no bloodshed. Now it turns out that Armenia supports the leader of Belarus. In response to the reporter’s comment, Mnatsakanyan said the following:

“There is no doubt that the key to the solution to the current situation lies in the hands of the people of Belarus. Armenia took its path, and it would not be right to draw parallels. Yes, there may be certain common standards, but overall, the situations are different. Armenia really hopes that this situation is solved through peace.”

In response to the comment that Armenia officially recognizes Lukashenko as the legitimate leader of Belarus, the foreign minister declared that Prime Minister Pashinyan has congratulated the President of Belarus. “We will follow to see how the people of Belarus can solve this issue. We intend to continue to work with Belarus in all directions, that is, within the scope of bilateral relations and in international formats,” the foreign minister concluded.