Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said it clearly distinguishes between the “brotherly Armenian people” and what it described as “short-sighted representatives of its authorities,” commenting on recent statements by Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan about Belarus’ lack of independence.
Simonyan had stated that “Armenia should not become a province and be governed the way Belarus is.”
According to ministry spokesperson Ruslan Varankov, the remarks amount to “pre-election populism” and an attempt to divert public attention from serious internal problems.
“The statements by the Armenian parliament speaker are nothing more than pre-election populism and a desperate attempt to shift voters’ attention away from severe domestic issues. When poverty exceeds 40%, unemployment rises, and entire regions stall in development, the easiest thing is to designate an external enemy and resort to offensive labels. Such a cynical approach can only evoke regret,” Varankov said, as reported by BELTA.
He stressed that Belarus is a sovereign state that independently defines the format of its allied relations with Russia.
“We are proud of this cooperation and will not allow anyone to lecture us. Attempts to drag Minsk into internal political disputes under the pretext of alleged interference are a grave violation of basic diplomatic ethics. The results of Yerevan’s so-called balanced pro-Western course are evident—demographic decline, chronic economic instability, and full foreign policy dependence, forcing it to serve others’ summits like a puppet.
Belarusians and Armenians are bound by strong historical ties, and we are confident that sooner or later Armenia’s leadership will return to constructive dialogue so that our countries can again become truly friendly and strategic partners,” the diplomat concluded.
Relations between Armenia and Belarus have deteriorated since 2024, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, during a visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, said he and Ilham Aliyev had discussed the possibility of winning the 2020 war beforehand. He added that the time had come to revive those territories.
Following those remarks, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said neither he nor any Armenian official would visit Belarus while Lukashenko remains president, citing those statements.
