Armenia`s premier to refrain from visiting Belarus `as long as  Alexander Lukashenko is president there` 

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan does not agree with the opposition's assertion that the government of the republic has not  implemented the program for 2021-2026, and therefore must resign.

Speaking on June 13 at the National Assembly of the Republic of  Armenia, the head of the Armenian Cabinet cited as an example the  justifications of the opposition on the issue of Armenia's membership  in the CSTO. He quoted an excerpt from the Cabinet's program,  according to which "Armenia will continue its activities to actively  involve itself in the structures of the CSTO, will continue to work  on its contractual basis and improve the mechanisms for the use of  the Organization's forces."

In diplomatic language, the prime minister continued, this indicates  that there are questions about the mechanisms for the deployment and  use of CSTO forces. This situation was recorded in the summer of  2021, when the Azerbaijani armed forces invaded the Sotk-Khoznavar  section. Prior to this, Yerevan received assurances from the  Organization that the borders of Armenia are a "red line" for it. But  when on May 12, 2021, after the invasion of the Azerbaijani Armed  Forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia, there was no  corresponding response from the CSTO, the Armenian side questioned  the effectiveness of this structure. Discussions and meetings were  held on this issue at various levels, right up to the Organization's  summit in Yerevan, but the problem was never resolved. For this  reason, Yerevan has frozen its participation in the CSTO, and the  next logical step should be the country's withdrawal from this  structure. "When will this happen? We will decide whether it will be  in a month, a year or three years. The country's authorities never  said that they would remain in the CSTO, we talked about the presence  of questions, to obtain answers to which the country was going to  move on," he said.

Pashinyan added that one of the leaders of the CSTO recently stated  that during the 44-day war, his country participated, believed and  wanted Azerbaijan's victory. "And you want me to go to Belarus after  this and discuss issues related to the CSTO with the president of  this country?" - asked the RA Prime Minister, adding at the same time  that Armenia will be forced to maintain its membership in the  Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS for the time being. The Prime  Minister stressed that he will not visit Belarus as long as Alexander  Lukashenko is president there. Not a single Armenian government  official will visit this country.  The Prime Minister did not rule  out a change in Yerevan's position regarding Minsk if the President  of Belarus makes such an apology to the Armenian people that would be  acceptable to the people.