Armenia’s acting PM to demand explanations from Kazakh, Belarus leaders
Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has unveiled his plans to demand explanations from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as he is startled with the fact that Lukashenko has revealed details of the closed-door meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to the ambassador of Azerbaijan, a non-member country of the organization.
He stressed a closed-door session of the military-political bloc where the heads of its member states hold discussions, entails a “a closed conversation between the allies.” “I am astonished that a person who has served as head of state for some 30 years can allow himself to take such a move,” Pashinyan told reporters on Friday.
“And of course, I shall demand clarifications from the president of Belarus, and not only from the president of Belarus,” the official said, adding he is also going to demand explanations from the Kazakh president for making a statement contrary to the overall agreements.
“Nursultan Nazarbayev has also made a statement contrary to our agreements. After the closed-door summit in Astana, he stated that a Belarusian representative would take office as CSTO secretary general. No one had the right to make such a statement since decisions at the CSTO are made by consensus, and we have clearly expressed our position,” Pashinyan noted.
The acting PM stressed the need for Armenia to have open talks with its allies within the framework of the CSTO so that the sides clearly realize the obligations they have to one another.
Pashinyan says he raised the issue during the telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, adding discussions are also underway with the CSTO partners.
“We maintain respect for our partners and hope they will act in the same way,” he concluded.
Related news
- Narrow-format discussions held on the appointment of the CSTO Secretary General
- Pashinyan arrives in Astana for CSTO summit
- Armenia’s Khachaturov likely to be replaced by Belarus rep. as CSTO chief