Armenia withdraws envoy from Belarus due to escalating tensions with Russia.
In the midst of attempting to quell domestic turmoil, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is instead stirring up trouble with Russia. On June 12, Pashinyan announced that Armenia would be departing from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The following day, his government turned its sights on Russia's counterpart, Belarus, recalling Armenia's ambassador in Minsk.
During a speech to the Armenian parliament, Pashinyan declared, "I will never set foot in Belarus as long as Alexander Lukashenko is its president. In essence, no official representative of Armenia will be traveling to Belarus at this moment."
Armenia's ire towards Belarus appears to be warranted. According to a report published by Politico, Belarus was a consistent provider of weaponry to Armenia's bitter adversary, Azerbaijan, from 2018-2022. This revelation comes at a time when the two nations were supposed to be CSTO allies.
Belarus responded with its own act of recalling its ambassador in Yerevan. In a statement from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Pashinyan's action was labeled as an attempt to distract Armenians from the government's attempts at brokering a peace deal with Azerbaijan. The capital city of Yerevan has been the site of ongoing anti-government protests, which escalated violently on June 12.
"We all see the difficult internal political situation that's unfolding in Armenia today. ... But what we don't understand is what Belarus has to do with it," said Belarusian Foreign Ministry representative Anatoly Glaz.
The tension between Armenia and Russia extends beyond the fracas with Belarus and the CSTO. The recent visit of Armenian officials to the Ukrainian town of Bucha, a location with documented Russian war crimes, has further aggravated Yerevan's relations with Moscow. The visit by Armenia's ambassador to Ukraine, Vladimir Karapetyan, and Tigran Ter-Margaryan, head of Yerevan's Nor Nork district, was met with a sharp reprimand from Russia. During their visit, the officials showed solidarity with Ukraine, drawing Armenia closer to Western viewpoints and contradicting Russia's narrative of the conflict.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the visit as "an openly hostile move by official Yerevan." She added that the Kremlin had sent a protest note to Armenia, indicating Russia's displeasure with Yerevan's actions. Armenian officials dismissed the reproach, emphasizing their commitment to humanitarian values and supporting communities affected by conflict.
This diplomatic squabble highlights the evolving dynamics in Armenia's foreign policy. Historically, Armenia has maintained close ties with Russia due to shared cultural, historical, economic, and military factors. However, recent developments suggest a reevaluation of Armenia's geopolitical positioning. Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Armenia has leaning increasingly towards the West's stance on the war. This shift includes meetings between Armenian and Ukrainian officials and the provision of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. An Armenian representative was expected to attend a Western summit in Switzerland on June 15-16, intended to rally support for Ukraine.
Russia recently alleged that Armenia owes the CSTO $598,000 in unpaid fees accrued in 2024, a debt Armenian authorities deny, claiming they had "de facto" suspended their CSTO membership. Following Armenia's criticism of the alliance, Moscow stated that Armenia was "free to leave" the pact.
The deterioration of Armenian-Russian relations commenced in 2022, when Armenia's pleas for CSTO assistance to thwart Azerbaijani assaults in Nagorno-Karabakh went unanswered. The lack of CSTO support fueled Armenian frustration and sparked the initiation of a strategic pivot toward the West.
- The ongoing troubles between Armenia and Russia, evident in their recent diplomatic spat over Armenia's call to depart from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), also extends to the realm of policy-and-legislation, as Russian officials have alleged an unpaid debt of $598,000 from Armenia to the CSTO.
- Amidst the ongoing tensions, the Armenian government has been actively engaging in general-news events that ring contradictory to Russian interests, such as expressing solidarity with Ukraine and visiting sites of documented Russian war crimes, which have further strained the already-fragile relations between the two nations.
