Armenian army demands resignation of PM Pashinyan and government
Armenian military on Thursday called for resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The premier blasted the military's demand on resignation as a coup attempt, and calling on his supporters to take to the streets in response to anti-democratic move.
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- Published Date: 11:53 | 18 February 2021
- Modified Date: 07:46 | 25 February 2021
Armenia's armed forces called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government in a statement on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.
Pashinyan has faced protests and calls to resign after what his critics say was the disastrous handling of a bloody six-week conflict between Azerbaijan and occupying Armenian forces over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
Pashinyan said on Thursday that an announcement by the armed forces calling for him to resign amounted to an attempted military coup and he called on his supporters to gather in the centre of the capital Yerevan.
The developments came after Armenia saw a spike in demonstrations this week demanding the resignation of Pashinyan.
The protests against Pashinyan began in November after he signed a cease-fire pact with Azerbaijan that ceded territory occupied by Armenian forces.
The deal ended a six-week war over the Yerevan-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region in which thousands died. The dispute with Azerbaijan over the Upper Karabakh territory had gone on for decades.