MOSCOW (AP) – A tightly scripted meeting of the Russian-dominated multi-Soviet economic bloc was cut short Thursday when two leaders clashed during a live broadcast of the event.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of state attended the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been seeking to end his country’s ties with Moscow and build closer ties with the West, joined the meeting via video link after canceling his trip following a positive test for COVID-19.
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A carefully planned session at a resort near St. Petersburg collapsed when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country was taking over as chairman of the economic group from Armenia, urged Pashinyan to visit Belarus at the next meeting of the union.
Pashinyan replied that he plans to attend the meeting in Belarus via video call, after which Lukashenko pressed for an explanation and even offered to send a plane to fly the Armenian delegation to the Belarusian capital.
Pashinyan then pointed to his previous decision to cancel a high-level visit to Belarus because of Lukashenko’s support for Armenia’s rival, Azerbaijan.
“I don’t think this is the right way to discuss these issues,” Pashinyan added.
But Lukashenko kept arguing and Pashinyan backed down. Putin, who was sitting next to Lukashenko, and other leaders watched the conflict in silence.
The Eurasian Economic Union was established a decade ago to promote strong business ties and facilitate trade among its members, but it has been marred by economic and other disagreements among members.
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