Pashinyan hits back at Lukashenko: 'Armenia no longer relies on a single ally'

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded sharply to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's claim that Armenia 'is needed by no one', declaring at a pre-election rally that his country will diversify its alliances, energy sources and trade routes. Pashinyan said Armenia can remain in the Eurasian Economic Union while continuing European-standard reforms, but when a final choice must be made, the Armenian people will decide.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan used a pre-election rally to fire back at Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who recently declared that Armenia «is needed by no one». Pashinyan framed the comment not as an insult to be brushed aside but as a political turning point that demands a concrete response.

«Lukashenko's statement must have political consequences,» Pashinyan told the crowd. «And the consequence is this: Armenia will no longer be left without an alternative. We will not rely on a single road, a single ally, or a single pipeline.» The prime minister pledged to accelerate the development of alternative energy and broaden the country's foreign partnerships.

On the question of Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union — the Russia-led bloc that also includes Belarus — Pashinyan struck a careful but pointed tone. He said Armenia would continue along its current dual-track path for as long as it remains viable, pressing ahead with European-standard reforms while formally staying inside the EAEU. «When the time comes to make a choice, the people of Armenia will make it,» he said, signalling that Yerevan is moving steadily toward a public decision on its geopolitical future.

The exchange reflects deepening tensions between Armenia and its traditional post-Soviet partners. Yerevan has in recent years pursued closer ties with the European Union and the United States, suspended its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and sought new energy and transport corridors that bypass Russian territory. Lukashenko's remarks were seen in Yerevan as an attempt to pressure Armenia back into line — an attempt Pashinyan is now publicly rejecting.

The rally comes ahead of Armenian parliamentary elections, making Pashinyan's combative stance on sovereignty and diversification a central campaign message. By directly addressing Lukashenko's provocation, Pashinyan is casting the vote as a choice between continued dependence on Moscow-aligned structures and a genuinely independent foreign policy course.