PM Pashinyan receives no invitation for Armenian church consecration in Minsk

The Armenian side has not yet received an invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Minsk, according to a statement from Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The consecration of the newly constructed Armenian church is scheduled to take place in May 2025. In anticipation of the event, journalists contacted the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office to inquire whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan or any other senior officials had received invitations to attend the ceremony, and if so, who might represent Armenia in the Belarusian capital, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media outlets.

However, the response came from the Foreign Ministry: “In response to your inquiry, we inform you that no invitation has been received,” the ministry stated.

The issue comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Yerevan and Minsk, which escalated following Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s remarks concerning the outcome of the 2020 Karabakh war. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Lukashenko of openly admitting to supporting Azerbaijan during the conflict and subsequently imposed a ban on Armenian officials visiting Belarus.

In June 2024, Pashinyan publicly declared that he would never set foot in Belarus as long as Lukashenko remained in power. The foreign ministries of both countries exchanged formal diplomatic notes that same month. Tensions flared again in August after another controversial statement by the Belarusian president, prompting a protest in Yerevan, where demonstrators pelted the Belarusian embassy with tomatoes and potatoes.

By Khagan Isayev