The Prime Minister of Armenia stubbornly refuses to go to Minsk, which causes bewilderment on the part of Alexander Lukashenko.
The President of Belarus and Nikol Pashinyan argued over this issue during the EAEU summit in St. Petersburg.
The Armenian politician participated in the event via video link due to the coronavirus infection he was diagnosed with.
During the meeting, Lukashenko proposed holding the next EAEU summit in Minsk in May 2025, RIA Novosti reports.
Pashinyan stated that in this case he would also participate via video link.
The Belarusian leader decided to focus on this and began asking questions.
"What's your problem? Is Minsk far away? Or is there no one to give you a ride? Well, we'll organize the delivery of your delegation, if necessary," Lukashenko responded to Pashinyan.
The Armenian Prime Minister recalled that he had previously stated his position in the public sphere.
He stressed that nothing has changed since then and he does not intend to back down from his decision.
Pashinyan noted that his participation via video link would be sufficient to “discuss issues.”
“We will consider your application,” Lukashenko replied.
The Armenian politician indicated that his decision was not subject to consideration.
“We will consider... maybe there will be no television so that you can speak remotely,” Lukashenko retorted.
Earlier, Pashinyan made unflattering comments about Belarus in the context of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinyan previously stated that he does not intend to visit Minsk due to the position of the Belarusian leadership.
Since then, Yerevan has begun to distance itself from the EAEU and CSTO and has begun to build a dialogue with the EU and NATO.
