If there are such requirements, it’s an implication of having no idea on the issue: Armenia’s Ambassador to Belarus on claims of recalling him

168.am had a short conversation with Armen Khachatryan,  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Belarus, on extradition of blogger Alexander Lapshin to Baku.

Mr. Khachatryan, what’s your assessment to the decision of extraditing blogger Lapshin to Azerbaijan by Belarus? What steps did the Embassy of Armenia in Belarus undertake to that end?

I was in the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and introduced our opinion on this issue. Regarding on how influential it may be, let me say that Israeli PM, Russia’s Foreign Minister also raised the issue, however, the solution was this, i.e. our Embassy did its best, although he isn’t a citizen of Armenia. However, we have expressed our opinion out of human rights and other circumstances.

Which opinions did you introduce in the Foreign Ministry of Belarus?

We introduced Azerbaijan’s non-democratic behavior, for instance the incident with our officer in Hungary and developments with Safarov, that a person can’t be extradited to a state, where there is no democracy, human rights protection and etc.

I want to mention another circumstance as well. There is a situation, which not everyone in our country imagines well. He was arrested for visiting Karabakh. I mean he was blacklisted and visited Azerbaijan after it, and before that he had been in Karabakh.

Do you think there is another circumstance in this case?

He came to Karabakh and as he had been there, he couldn’t enter Karabakh, he was blacklisted, but he visited Azerbaijan with Ukrainian passport, where Alexander was Olexander, he was permitted to enter the country, and he’s accused of illegal crossing of the border, upon their formulation.

There are threats that citizens of Armenia, who had been in Karabakh, why not, may gain that attitude in Belarus and be extradited to Baku for visiting Artsakh.

It has no connection with Armenian citizens, if they don’t leave for Azerbaijan then.

There are claims on your dismissal, that Lapshin’s extradition is an implication of Embassy’s inactivity. In your opinion, did the Embassy take all necessary steps to exclude the scenario?

Of course, it did, and it’s a result of having no idea on the issue, if there are such requirements.

By Araks Martirosyan