At the Eurasian Economic Union meeting held in Astana, Kazakhstan, Belarusian President Lukashenko criticized Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan's remarks regarding the use of Armenia’s territory to transit natural gas to the South Caucasus region, directly calling the statements outright lies.
Lukashenko stated he had absolutely no idea what specific pipeline or implementation timeline Pashinyan was referring to.
"Where exactly is this planned pipeline supposed to be laid? I really want to know why he is deceiving his own people. Where does the pipeline start? Who will supply the natural gas? And where will the funding come from?"
Lukashenko also pointed out that Russia supplies natural gas to Armenia duty-free, at prices several times lower than those in the EU market. He emphasized that he could not understand where Pashinyan claimed such benefits would come from.
Previously, Pashinyan had suggested that Armenia could generate revenue through natural gas transit operations.
Pashinyan proposed earning income via natural gas transit, but Belarus views this idea as lacking practical foundation—there is no established pipeline plan, no gas source, and no financial support, making the statement unrealistic.
Russia has long supplied gas to Armenia at preferential prices, forming the cornerstone of bilateral energy cooperation; meanwhile, the existing natural gas transmission network in the South Caucasus region remains stable, and constructing new cross-border pipelines involves extremely high difficulty and cost.
Lukashenko's public remarks at the Eurasian Economic Union forum also reflect differing perspectives within the alliance on regional energy issues, indirectly highlighting the contentious nature of energy corridor planning in the South Caucasus.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866710190736396/
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