In a move that has stirred controversy and concern, CSTO member-state Belarus’s President, Aleksandr Lukashenko, alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, visited occupied Shushi, an Armenian city within the Azerbaijani-occupied Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on May 17.
During the visit, Lukashenko and Aliyev were shown around a newly constructed building in occupied Shushi, underscoring the ongoing changes in the occupied territory. The visit marks another significant moment in the complex dynamics of the region, particularly given the delicate nature of the relations between the involved countries.
At a press conference following his discussions with Aliyev, Lukashenko referred to the Azerbaijani leader as his “brother” and made several statements that were openly hostile towards Armenia. Recalling a conversation prior to the 2020 Artsakh war, Lukashenko shared, “I remembered our conversation before the [Artsakh] war [in 2020], before your battle for freedom, when we were talking philosophically at lunch together. Then we came to the conclusion that a war can be won,” seemingly endorsing the military actions undertaken by Azerbaijan.
This visit and Lukashenko’s remarks are particularly provocative given that both Belarus and Armenia are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), whereas Azerbaijan is not. The CSTO has yet to issue a response to these developments, which complicate the regional security landscape and the organization’s internal harmony.
The presence of the two authoritarian leaders in occupied Shushi”a city deeply significant to Armenians and a pivotal site in the ongoing conflict over Artsakh”sends a strong and distressing signal to the Armenian community. This encounter underscores the challenges and threats that the Armenian population faces, both in Artsakh and in the broader geopolitical arena.
