Moscow [Russia], June 14: Armenia and Belarus each recalled their ambassadors for consultations on Thursday, as diplomatic tensions between the two deepen.
"In view of the developing situation, our ambassador in Yerevan will be travelling to Minsk shortly," Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glas told BELTA state news agency.
Armenia says the spat was triggered by the fact that Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko supported Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan gained complete control of Nagorno-Karabakh last year after the latest fighting in the long-running conflict over the mountainous region.
Nagorno-Karabakh has a mostly Christian Armenian population, but comprises about 4,500 square kilometres within predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan and is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
During talks with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Lukashenko spoke of a meeting between the two before the war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Back then, we talked about it philosophically over lunch and came to the conclusion that this war can be won," he said, adding that it was now necessary to hold onto this victory. He also referred to it as a war of liberation.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh dates back decades. The region seceded from Baku in 1994 with the help of Yerevan following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the flare-up of ethnic conflicts.
Azerbaijan recaptured part of these territories in 2020 and Russia then deployed troops to the region based on an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and a ceasefire, to prevent further fighting.
But the Russian soldiers did not intervene in Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and the leadership of the separatist region was forced to surrender after brief, fierce fighting. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians then fled the region.
That caused a deep political crisis in Armenia, with people demonstrating for months against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whom they blame for the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and for what they see as too soft a stance towards Azerbaijan in other territorial disputes.
On Wednesday, dozens of people were injured and around 100 arrested during the latest protests.
Pashinyan however blames the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance which also includes Belarus and Armenia, after some members of the bloc supported Azerbaijan in planning the war, rather than helping Armenia.
He later specified his accusations regarding Lukashenko, and said he will not go to Belarus as long as the strongman remains president.
Armenia's relations with Russia are also in crisis, as Pashinyan seeks stronger relations with the West.
Lukashenko, in power for 30 years, is seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest partner.
Source: Qatar Tribune
