Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated during the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk that Armenia’s absence from the event is an indication of existing problems within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). However, he emphasized that one side should not be solely blamed for the situation.

He recalled that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated remotely and noted that his personal absence “reflects the challenges within the EAEU,” according to RBC.

“You know Armenia’s stance. It’s easy to dismiss their absence, but if something is happening, it can’t be the fault of only one party. We must try to understand the reasons. Why is Armenia taking such a position? Clearly, not everything is in order on our side either, and we cannot ignore that,” Lukashenko said.

Earlier, Lukashenko had paid a state visit to Azerbaijan and, accompanied by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, visited the occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh, including Shushi. During the visit, he made several controversial remarks, revealing that he had discussed the possibility of war over Nagorno-Karabakh with Aliyev before 2020. He stated they had held “philosophical conversations” about resolving the conflict through war and the challenges of post-war recovery. Lukashenko also declared that “Aliyev is now the leader of the South Caucasus” and that “he should oversee the region.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused at least two member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) of having supported Azerbaijan in preparing for the 44-day war against Armenia. He also declared that no Armenian official would visit Belarus.