DISINFO: The West uses its Belarus puppet Tsikhanouskaya to withdraw Armenia from the CSTO
SUMMARY
Western supervisors had to pull out Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to work out the topic of Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO (ODKB). Recently, Tsikhanouskaya commented on Lukashenka’s visit to Azerbaijan, claiming that this visit illustrated the weakness of the Russian military alliance (CSTO).
It is possible to say that Pashinyan is a more 'successful' colleague of Tsikhanouskaya – they are united by Western patronage, working according to the same methodology. The main goal of statements made by Tsikhanouskaya is to spread anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia and blame Russia for everything.
RESPONSE
Recurrent disinformation narrative targeting Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan, who are presented as Western puppets.
This disinformation claim aims to smear Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as a puppet of the West, allegedly sponsored by unwitting Lithuanian taxpayers. No evidence is presented to back such claims. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the main opposition candidate in the Belarusian Presidential election and was forced to go into exile in Lithuania after being detained and receiving threats following the beginning of the protests. She was awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the highest tribute paid by the European Union to Human Rights work. In July 2021, Lithuania designated Tsikhanouskaya’s team as a “democratic representation of Belarus”.
The claim also accuses an allegedly aggressive West of playing a destabilising role in the Caucasus, and characterising Armenia as a puppet state of the West. Pro-Kremlin media promote the idea that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance, and Russia has cautioned Yerevan that the West is trying to drive a wedge between Armenia and Russia.
Armenia has been a sovereign and independent state since 1991 when it proclaimed its independence from the former USSR. As a sovereign state, Armenia is free to decide its foreign policy and alliances.
Answering whether the issue of Armenia's withdrawal from Russia-led alliances is necessary to strengthen relations with the EU, the EU Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano gave the following answer after a trilateral meeting between the EU, the US, and Armenia on April 5, 2024, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell hosted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken:
"The EU is not an actor that can say: if you want to work with us, you will have to give up all other partners. We are for inclusive cooperation. If Armenia believes that some kind of cooperation with Russia is important, useful or beneficial for its interests, they can have it, provided that it does not conflict with EU policies, for example our sanctions' policy. So if you develop closer ties with the EU, it doesn't mean you need to cut ties with any other partner."
See other examples of disinformation about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Lithuania gives Tsikhanouskaya special treatment; Lithuania provided Tsikhanouskaya with a villa, a manor house and a team of stylists paid by taxpayers; Poland and Lithuania finance Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s political agenda as well as The West plan to turn the South Caucasus into a hotbed of panic and The US and EU imposed plans on Armenia to replace the Russian military base with US-EU-NATO specialists.