Alexander Lukashenko called on the people of Armenia to be “extremely careful” when choosing between the Eurasian Union and Europe, so as not to “repeat what happened in Ukraine.” His words are quoted from Belta.
In his opinion, statements are being made about Armenia’s possible withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union () and rapprochement with the European Union in connection with the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will be held in Armenia on June 7. He said that the Armenian leadership in its statements goes “as far as humiliating the Eurasian Economic Union.”
“Armenians must be very careful not to repeat, God forbid, what happened in Ukraine… In Ukraine, everything started exactly like this. You remember this. So that Armenians, who have just come out of one war, do not find themselves in a difficult situation because of this. There is no need to rush. Just think, you have to be wise. Before taking such a step, the Armenian people need to think very seriously. This is the only thing I encourage them to do. If people say Lukashenko: “Express their opinion and we will agree with them.”
Against the backdrop of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, relations between Moscow and Yerevan have deteriorated sharply. Russia accuses Armenia’s current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of taking a pro-Western path. Moscow is also demanding that the head of the Russian industrial and construction group Tashir, businessman Samvel Karapetyan, be allowed to participate in the elections.
The authorities of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement on May 29, demanding that Armenia hold a referendum and decide whether the country will remain in the Eurasian Economic Union. In their view, Yerevan’s readiness to join the EU carries “significant risks to the economic security” of the Eurasian Economic Union countries. The authors of the statement believe that they need to “prevent the resulting harm.”
In a press conference following the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the crisis in Ukraine began with a situation similar to what is happening now in Armenia. “I already mentioned this. The crisis in Ukraine once began with attempts to join the European Union. We were not against it,” he said.