On 31 August, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in an interview with the Russian Interfax rejected the existence of similarities between the Velvet Revolution and the events that are currently unfolding in Belarus, reported the Armenian Radio Free Europe.

“Armenia followed its own path and it’s not quite correct to draw parallels based on that,” he said. “True, there might be some common parameters, but on the whole,  these are different situations. “The most important thing is to accept and acknowledge that a solution to the issue is the prerogative of the people of Belarus. We very much hope that this situation will be resolved peacefully,” he added. 

Asked whether Armenia recognizes Alexander Lukashenko as Belarus’s legitimate leader, Mnatsakanyan said that Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Lukashenko on his victory and that the Armenian government intends to continue working with Belarus in all directions both within the framework of bilateral relations and in international formats.

Mnatsakanyan also commented on Lukashenko’s accusations that Western countries were funding the ongoing protests, that NATO is amassing forces on Belarusian frontiers and that he might need military assistance from Russia and the CSTO. The FM said that the Belarusian government has not requested such support at this time.

Another point of view was delivered by Armenia’s Former President Robert Kocharyan who argued that the situations were very similar, but the attitude of the countries of the West towards them was different. “Armenia’s authorities were objectively much more tolerant towards dissidence, the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and the President were actively collaborating with Western countries, and Armenia didn’t have political prisoners, reporters weren’t beaten, and people didn’t mysteriously disappear. Moreover, the HHK was a member of the European People’s Party and was actively collaborating with the institutions for interparty cooperation,” he said. Kocharyan also added that many of the revolutions that took place in the former Soviet Union were similar in terms of the technologies that have been used, but the main parameters varied in each country.

For reminder, on 10 August, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent his congratulations to the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, following the controversial presidential election poll results in Belarus. The hasty congratulations to Lukashenko sparked negative reactions from the Armenian NGO scene (Caucasus Watch reported).