"This Is The First Time I've Agreed With Lukashenko."
- 6.10.2026, 12:01
No one needs 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 want to convey to Pashinyan with this statement?
The website Charter97.org spoke 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 isn’t 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.
As you know, Nikol Pashinyan participated in this meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council via video conference. He didn’t travel to Minsk because, as you recall, there were political clashes between Lukashenko and Nikol Pashinyan. And Nikol Pashinyan promised never to go to Minsk as long as Lukashenko is 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 extend that to Armenia. In the case of Armenia, we’re welcome everywhere. The Americans, Europeans, Arab countries, and Latin American countries all work well with us. So let him apply that statement 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 link, 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 the people sitting there from Russia are the very ones who closed the market to Armenian goods.
What’s the point of saying such things to them? That’s why my criticism is, of course, primarily directed 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 market is closed. That’s obvious.
That’s why participating in these meetings and talking about the “smart things” Nikol Pashinyan mentioned is completely pointless.