Armenia's Former Ambassador To Russia Responded To Lukashenko
- 5.10.2026, 12:54
No one, anywhere, is waiting for a dictator.
During a meeting with participants in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session on October 2 in Minsk, Lukashenko urged Nikol Pashinyan not to rush into the European Union and specifically asked, “where will they take your cognac,” alluding to Armenia’s dependence on the Russian market. Against this backdrop, the Kremlin continues to pressure Yerevan through trade, gas, and the choice between the EU and the EAEU.
What message did Lukashenko wanted to convey to Pashinyan with this statement? Is this his own position, or is he in fact voicing the Kremlin’s demands?
The website Charter97.org discussed this with one of the leaders of the democratic movement in Armenia in the 1990s, a former deputy of the republic’s Supreme Council and ex-Armenian ambassador to Russia Stepan Grigoryan.
— I think, of course, that this is not Lukashenko’s own opinion. The Kremlin is telling him to voice this as well.
The fact is that the campaign against the Armenian authorities, which is underway in Russia, has been going on for a long time and without interruption. From Putin on down to Maria Zakharova, Lavrov, Overchuk, Sergey Shoigu, and others, they are constantly saying something against the policies pursued by Armenia’s current government.
They express it in one way or another. They oppose Armenia’s European integration and Yerevan’s sovereign steps. But this apparently isn’t working, so they’re enlisting their allies—if I may put it that way—such as Lukashenko, so that he, too, will speak out. And, naturally, Lukashenko speaks out. Especially since his relationship with Nikol Pashinyan hasn’t worked out.
You know, Nikol Pashinyan participated in this meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council via video conference. He didn’t go to Minsk because, as you recall, there had been political clashes between Lukashenko and Nikol Pashinyan. And Nikol Pashinyan promised never to go to Minsk as long as Lukashenko remains president of Belarus.
But it’s clear that Lukashenko said this at Moscow’s behest. For example, he suggested that no one is waiting for us anywhere, that no one in Europe will buy Armenian cognac. He said: “No one is waiting for us anywhere.”
I must admit that for the first time, I agree with him. Indeed, no one is waiting for Lukashenko’s Belarus anywhere. This is the first time I’ve agreed with Lukashenko.
But I would say this: he shouldn’t apply this to Armenia. When it comes to Armenia, we’re welcome everywhere. The Americans, Europeans, Arab countries, and Latin American countries all work well with us. So let him apply this only to himself. But, of course, Lukashenko said this at Putin’s behest. There are many things that Putin cannot repeat 50 times. That’s why they let Lukashenko do the talking.
Now for the other side of this whole matter. In my view, when Nikol Pashinyan spoke via video conference, he began explaining how a free-trade zone should work—the free movement of goods, people, and so on. You know, it’s like throwing pearls before swine. I don’t think that’s the right approach. Because sitting there are the very people from Russia who closed the market to Armenian goods.
What’s the point of saying such things to them? That’s why my criticism is directed, of course, first and foremost at Lukashenko, but also partly at Nikol Pashinyan. What’s the point of explaining things to these people who closed their market to him? We’re talking about the Prime Minister of Russia, the President of Russia. They made a political decision and closed the Russian market to Armenian goods. What’s the point of explaining to them what free trade is, a free-trade zone, and so on?
I think this is a very important point for Armenia. Armenia needs to decide: how long can it stay in both camps? Sometimes balancing acts in foreign policy are useful, but right now they’re absolutely useless. Why? Because the Eurasian Union’s market is closed. That’s obvious.
Therefore, participating in these meetings and talking about the “smart things” Nikol Pashinyan mentioned is completely pointless.
— How can Armenia resist further pressure from Moscow? What real options does Yerevan have?
— It depends on the issues. From my point of view, answers can always be found. Take the nuclear power plant, for example.
Nikol Pashinyan’s latest statement surprised me a bit. He said things that give the impression that Armenia might agree to let Russia build a nuclear power plant in Armenia. Prior to that, the position was clear: it’s very likely that a modular nuclear power plant—an American one—would be built in Armenia.
But Nikol Pashinyan’s latest remarks came a few days ago, when the head of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev was in Armenia. After that, Nikol Pashinyan said that we are considering building a large nuclear power plant, not a modular one. In other words, he hinted that perhaps a Russian nuclear power plant is being discussed.
I believe this would be the worst possible response. Because if you build a new nuclear power plant with Russia, your dependence on Russia for energy will only increase. And it was precisely this strong dependence on Russia that led to the disaster in Karabakh.
It’s no secret to anyone that the disaster that occurred in Karabakh… I won’t go into detail—you understand what I mean. But this catastrophe occurred precisely because Russia, as an ally, did not help; it abandoned Armenia—to put it bluntly, it betrayed Armenia.
But why was it able to betray Armenia? Because everything was in Russia’s hands: the gas, the gas pipelines, the railroads, and the air defense systems. Many people don’t realize that our air defense system is actually Russia’s air defense system. In other words, Russia didn’t help at all precisely because it has a monopoly on everything in Armenia.
And continuing this now, I think, is the worst possible response. But in a number of other areas, I see that our authorities are trying to create alternatives. The TRIPP project with </>Donald Trump, of course, will create alternative opportunities to open up Armenia. The Europeans are also actively working on this, including observers at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. As you know, there is a European mission there.
There are steps being taken that are, of course, the right ones. We have begun to gradually take control of our borders with Iran and Turkey, as well as control at the airport. This shows that steps are being taken. But I don’t always see consistency; I don’t always see consistent action on the part of our government.