MP Sargis Khandanyan Urges Mr. Slutsky to Review Belarusian President’s Statements in Azerbaijan

YEREVAN – Since 2018, there has not been a single action by the Republic of Armenia that could be deemed unfriendly towards its allies. On the contrary, numerous examples highlight Armenia’s commitment to its partnerships, even amidst challenges such as the 44-day war, aggressive actions against Armenia’s sovereign territory, and the lack of response from the CSTO to these violations.

Sargis Khandanyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, made these remarks in response to recent comments by Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Mr. Slutsky had accused the current Armenian authorities of following Western instructions, harming relations with Russia and Belarus, and attempting to “shift responsibility for the loss of Karabakh onto whoever he can, just to remove the burden from himself.”

Regarding the loss of Karabakh and assigning responsibility, Mr. Khandanyan suggested that Mr. Slutsky familiarize himself with statements made months ago by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Azerbaijan. In those statements, Lukashenko admitted his country’s involvement in the preparation of the war unleashed against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Addressing the issue of responsibility further, Mr. Khandanyan highlighted that after the 44-day war, Russian peacekeepers were mandated to ensure the security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population. However, this mandate tragically culminated in the forced displacement of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr. Khandanyan reaffirmed that the Government of Armenia conducts its foreign policy based solely on the state interests of the Republic of Armenia. He emphasized that only the people of Armenia have the exclusive right to direct the actions of their authorities—a principle he believes is likely unfamiliar to his State Duma colleague.