Lukashenko Might Cancel Trip to Armenia

The recent accusations exchanged between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev might be the reason for Lukashenko cancelling his trip to Armenia.

The reason for Lukashenko’s recent annoyance was Medvedev’s August 2 statement in which he said that the Belarusian leader, during the 2008 CSTO summit, “officially promised” to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Last week, Lukashenko said Belarus had not recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia because Russia refused support with the consequences of such a step. In response, the Kremlin promised to prove Lukashenko’s promise by publishing the transcript of the CSTO meeting.

In retaliation, Lukashenko might skip the August 20–21 informal CSTO summit in Yerevan, reports Kommersant and RIA Novosti news agencies.