MINSK. June 21 (Interfax) - Minsk has presented Yerevan with a diplomatic note concerning bilateral relations and interaction in joint integrational entities, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
"Head of the [Belarusian Foreign Ministry's] directorate of bilateral cooperation with CIS countries Sergei Molunov met with Armenian Charge d'Affaires a.i. to Belarus Narek Tiraturyan at the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. The diplomats discussed a number of relevant aspects of bilateral relations, prospects of trade and economic cooperation, and interaction in joint integrational entities. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry presented a note to the Armenian side," it said.
Molunov and Tiraturyan "touched upon humanitarian subjects and highlighted longstanding friendly ties between the two nations. In the run-up to Independence Day celebrations in the Republic of Belarus, the substantial contribution of Armenian soldiers to our country's liberation from Nazi German invaders was mentioned," it said.
As reported, Belarus and Armenia reciprocally recalled their ambassadors for consultations in mid-June.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said several days ago that he would never visit Belarus as long as Alexander Lukashenko remained its leader. "A CSTO member state says it has taken part in preparations for the 44-day war [in Karabakh], has encouraged, believed in and wished for a victory of Azerbaijan. Why would I discuss any issues in the CSTO format with the Belarusian president after that?" Pashinyan told the country's parliament.
Meeting earlier with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said, "I thought about and recalled our conversation before the war, before your war of liberation, when the two of us had that philosophical discourse at dinner. We concluded then that it was possible to win a war. It's important. It's very important to retain this victory".