Armenia has summoned the Belarus Ambassador in Yerevan to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday afternoon after what it described as a "bewildering statement" by the Belarus Foreign Ministry, issued in Minsk on Saturday in the aftermath of clashes in the Karabakh conflict zone.
The Armenian website HETQ reported that during the meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan expressed to Igor Nazaruk, Ambassador of Belarus in Yerevan, the deep bewilderment of the Armenian side regarding some provisions reflected in the statement of the MFA of the Republic of Belarus on the developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, released on April 2, 2016.
According to the website the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister told Ambassador Igor Nazaruk that such statement is incompatible with the spirit of the Armenia-Belarus relations and contradicts the commitments of the sides taken within the framework of the CSTO and other international structures, undermines the negotiation process while encouraging the use of force in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.
The statement of the Belarus Foreign Ministry, posted on the Ministry website says:
"The Republic of Belarus is deeply concerned about the resumption of active hostilities with the use of heavy weapons in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"As a member country of the OSCE Minsk Group have consistently advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict in accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of international law, first of all, on the basis of respect and ensure the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, as well as the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and OSCE decisions .
"We urge the parties to immediately cease fire and to avoid any actions leading to an increase in tension and casualties. We hope that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group with the support of all friendly countries to Azerbaijan and Armenia use their authority and influence to ensure de-escalation and return to find a solution to the Karabakh conflict to the negotiating table."
Both Armenia and Belarus are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Eurasian Economic Union. Azerbaijan is a member of neither.
source: commonspace.eu with www.hetq.am and www.mfa.gov.by
