Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko today said he wants to restore his country’s friendly relations with Armenia that existed before Yerevan’s recent tilt to the West.

The Belarussian leader said this at a Minsk meeting with representatives of different nationalities living in Belarus. 

Relations between Yerevan and Minsk have soured of late, especially after Lukashenko, in Baku last May, said that during the 2020 Artsakh War, Minsk wanted the victory of Azerbaijan and the "restoration of its territorial integrity".

Armenia responded by recalling its ambassador from Belarus. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that no high-ranking Armenian official would visit that country during his tenure as prime minister.

The situation became tense again in mid-August, when Lukashenko said, "Who needs Armenians, except Russians and Belarusians?"

Representatives of Armenia’s "For the Republic" party responded by throwing eggs and tomatoes at the Belarusian Embassy in Yerevan.  

"It wouldn't be bad if we, like before, with all the shortcomings and nuances, built good relations with Armenia. Believe me, it is not our fault. We tried to help the Armenians in every feasible way.  But here, you see. they want to go to the West, to the EU," Lukashenko is quoted as saying today according to BELTA - News of Belarus,

Photo: RIA Novosti / Ilya Pitalev