‘He Was A Llittle Bored Without Mr. Pashinyan’: Lukashenka Ridiculed At CSTO Summit

Injections followed at every hint of the absence of the Prime Minister of Armenia.

Journalist of the Russian Kommersant Andrei Kolesnikov described Lukashenka’s humiliation at the CSTO summit in Minsk in a sarcastic manner.

“Everything inside is the same as always. There are no changes, no changes are foreseen either,” the correspondent describes the atmosphere in the Palace of Independence, which he enters from the “February-like” snow-covered Minsk.

“They are preparing for the summit of the heads of the CSTO countries. And that’s it, that’s the impression for people. That is, in the press center on the table there is just a battery of President vodka, French wine and Armenian cognac, by the way.

That is, the shadow of Nikol Pashinyan, who did not come to Minsk because of his grievances against the organization that never defended Armenia, still hovers here, in this pompous deserted building (and this, in fairness, is all that Armenia is represented with at the CSTO summit ),” writes Kolesnikov.

Kolesnikov returned to the issue of Pashinyan’s absence throughout his reporting, never missing an opportunity to make fun of Lukashenka in this regard.

“And only when the leaders of five countries are photographed against the backdrop of their banners, do you understand that the flag of the country behind them also reminds of Armenia. Armenia has not yet been written off from anywhere in the CSTO.

Negotiations in a narrow format begin early, and end, I would like to write, even earlier.

“Problematic issues should be discussed at the negotiating table, instead of making demarches without specific reasons,” Lukashenka says irritably at an extended meeting, who until recently at each summit considered it his duty to publicly teach Nikol Pashinyan about life and now, apparently, not least of all “for this he suffers from his absence here,” notes Kolesnikov.

And having quoted Lukashenka’s statements about the threat of the Third World War and about nuclear weapons as a guarantee of security, the Moscow journalist concludes: “Yes, he seemed a little bored without Mr. Pashinyan.”