Political analyst pointed to Yerevan's substantial interest in the EAEU, despite disputes with Minsk

The disagreements between Belarus and Armenia are conditioned by the historical context and the intention of politicians to strengthen their authority within the states. Despite this, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) remains attractive for both Minsk and Armenia. This was pointed out by Enes Karakhanov, chairman of the International Center for Combating Crime and Terrorism, international political scientist, in a conversation with "Izvestia" on December 27.

The day before, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly argued at the EAEU summit in Leningrad Region. Pashinyan said that the Armenian delegation would attend the next meeting in Minsk remotely, to which Lukashenko wondered what the problem was and replied that he could organize the delivery of politicians to Belarus "if necessary."

Commenting on this, Karakhanov explained that one of the reasons for the disagreement is that Belarus positions itself as Russia's closest ally, while Armenia has recently distanced itself from Russia.

"Minsk, for its part, does not hide its sympathies for Azerbaijan, which has become an additional and very strong irritant for Armenia. The Belarusian position, expressed, in particular, by selling weapons to Azerbaijan, was perceived by Yerevan as a direct support of the enemy [against the background of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem], which strengthened the alienation," the interlocutor of the publication noted.

Besides, the expert believes, both Lukashenko and Pashinyan strengthen their authority through harsh rhetoric against each other. Thus, their confrontation at the EAEU summit was dictated not so much by strategic interests as by the desire to strengthen their political capital, the political scientist admitted.

"The economic benefit of participation in the EAEU for Armenia remains substantial despite political disagreements. The [Republic of] Belarus, in turn, is interested in maintaining the work of integration platforms as a tool to strengthen its regional influence," he summarized.

At the same time, Karakhanov emphasized that at the level of political interaction, frictions like Pashinyan's recent statements about boycotting events in Belarus undermine solidarity and trust.

Earlier, September 12, Lukashenko said that the events in Nagorno-Karabakh were the fault of the Armenian leadership. According to the Belarusian leader, he called for peace in the region, but Yerevan took a different position.

In June, Pashinyan promised that he wouldn't visit Belarus until there was no change of power in the republic. Thus, he spoke out after another statement by Lukashenko, who at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the events in Nagorno-Karabakh a war of liberation.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry emphasized at the time that Minsk was not going to worsen relations with Yerevan, no matter how much external players push the Armenian leadership to do so.