Armenia is not Russia`s ally on Ukrainian issue - Pashinyan

ArmInfo.  I have already stated that Armenia is not an ally of Russia on the Ukrainian issue. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement during a  press-briefing on May 7, in response to  journalists' inquiries  regarding concerns that the Ukrainian president's visit to Armenia,  who had previously congratulated Azerbaijan on its victory in the  war, could be seen as an anti-Russian move.

Reiterating his previous stance on the matter, Pashinyan reminded  those present that Armenia has been providing humanitarian aid to  Ukraine.

Regarding the congratulations to Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister  emphasized that similar statements had been made by member states of  the CSTO, in which Armenia's participation is currently frozen.   Specifically, he recalled remarks by Belarusian President Alexander  Lukashenko during his visit to Azerbaijan. According to Pashinyan,  the Belarusian leader claimed to have participated in the  preparations for the 44-Day War in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Prime  Minister also referenced another statement by Lukashenko suggesting  that "no one needs the Armenians except for the EAEU."

In this context, Pashinyan pointed out that the leader of the  "Prosperous Armenia" party, who reportedly maintains close ties with  the Belarusian authorities, failed to publicly react to these  statements.

The Head of Government further noted that representatives from the  "Strong Armenia" and "Prosperous Armenia" parties, as well as the  "Armenia" bloc, did not comment on statements made at a high level by  the Russian side recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.  Pashinyan underscored that such assessments were voiced even prior to  the signing of the Prague Declaration on October 6, 2022, when  Armenia and Azerbaijan mutually recognized each other's territorial  integrity. Furthermore, the Prime Minister reiterated that the  current peace settlement process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is   based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. 

Recall, on October 6, 2022, in Prague, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed  to recognize each other's territorial integrity based on the 1991  Alma-Ata Declaration. This declaration was signed by 12 republics of  the former Soviet Union to formalize their recognition of the  administrative borders of the Soviet republics as state borders. On  October 6, 2022, in Prague, through the mediation of French President  Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel,  Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed that the Alma-Ata Declaration should  serve as the basis for demarcation between the two countries.