Belarusian Ambassador calls on Armenians not to draw hasty conclusions on Lapshin case (video)
“I call on Armenians never to draw hasty conclusions because there is a good saying ‘Поспешишь, людей насмешишь (Haste makes waste)’ and I do consider Armenians a wise and prudent nation,” - Belarusian Ambassador to Armenia Igor Nazaruk said on January 25 speaking about the arrest of famous blog writer Alexandr Lapshin by Belarusian authorities and his extradition to Azerbaijan. Lapshin, 40, was arrested by Belarusian authorities on December 15, 2016 in Minsk, at the request of the Azeri authorities, who demanded his extradition because of his visits to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic. Lapshin, who has Russian and Israeli citizenship, visited the Artsakh Republic in April 2011 and in October 2012, and later in his blogs called for international recognition of Artsakh. In its December 16 statement, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General's Office said Alexandr Lapshin illegally visited Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh without asking permission from Azerbaijani officials. On January 20, the Belarusian Prosecutor-General's Office granted the request of the Azerbaijani authorities to extradite Lapshin to Azerbaijan. “You had better discuss the issue should be discussed with competent people,” Igor Nazaruk said, adding that the Embassy did not possess the information that could interest the media. There is a Prosecutor-General's Office in Armenia. They can cooperate with Belarusian partners and resolve this issue. There is nothing easier than buying a plane ticket to Minsk, getting there and knowing answers to all questions on the spot,” he added.
