Armenia Will Not Become a Province, Says Simonyan in Response to Minsk

YEREVAN — Armenia will not become a province and will continue strengthening its sovereignty, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan said during a press briefing, responding to a protest note issued by Belarus’ Foreign Ministry.

Simonyan stressed that Belarus’ model of governance is unacceptable for official Yerevan.

“Armenia will not become a province. Armenia will not fall into political dependence. Armenia will continue to raise the level of its sovereignty politically and in every other respect. The Belarusian model of governance is unacceptable for my country and for me personally. Armenia is a free country, with free media, human rights, and the rule of law,” Simonyan stated.

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry had sent a formal protest note to Armenia’s chargé d’affaires. In its statement, the ministry said:

“A strong protest note has been delivered to Chargé d’Affaires Artur Sargsyan regarding the latest unfriendly actions of the Armenian side.”

Minsk did not elaborate on what it described as Armenia’s “unfriendly actions.”

Earlier, Simonyan had stated that “Armenia should not become a province governed the way Belarus is governed.”

Responding to a journalist’s question about whether such statements could further worsen already strained Armenia-Belarus relations, Simonyan replied:

“I believe that disrespect toward Armenia, toward a CSTO partner, and toward Armenian statehood is what damages relations. Preparing Azerbaijan for the 44-day war damages relations, along with many other things.

“The political course is a matter of choice for every state. For the Republic of Armenia, human rights and freedoms are among the highest values. I believe every country chooses its own model. We have chosen the path of democratization for Armenia, while they have chosen a somewhat different path — not the path Armenia has chosen.”