Armenian speaker defiant over "Russia province" remark on Belarus

Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan has said he does not regret comparing Belarus to a “governorate” of Russia, insisting that worsening relations with Minsk stem from its behaviour towards Armenia rather than his own remarks.

Speaking to journalists in Yerevan, Simonyan argued that “disrespectful treatment” of Armenia — a partner within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation — was driving the deterioration in ties, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“Armenia will not be in political dependence. Armenia will raise the level of its sovereignty,” he said, adding that what he described as Belarus’s model of governance was “unacceptable” for his country.

He stressed that each state chooses its own path, but suggested Belarus had taken a “different route” from Armenia. “Human rights and freedoms are key values for Armenia,” he added.

The comments come after Simonyan said on May 2 that Russia was allegedly attempting to “orchestrate a change of power” in Armenia, and that the country would not “be governed like Belarus” nor “become a governorate”.

His remarks prompted a strong reaction from Minsk. Belarus’s foreign ministry described the statements as “pre-election populism” and handed a formal protest note to Armenia’s acting chargé d’affaires.

The Belarusian foreign ministry also defended its relationship with Moscow, saying Belarus is a sovereign state that independently determines the format of its alliance with Russia, adding that it would not accept external lectures on its policies.

By Aghakazim Guliyev