Armenia”s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke of an attempted military coup after the military’s General Staff demanded that he step down after months of protests sparked by the nation’s defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.
“What happened today is that some people tried to put our military staff in a non-democratic process and a military coup,” said Pashinyan to his supporters.
“I am sure that whoever signed that document did so by obligation by their chiefs. I’m telling you that your job is to defend Armenia, the army can’t involve themselves in politics.”
However, supporters of Armenia’s opposition also flooded the country’s capital on Thursday to protest Pashinyan.
The demonstrations began immediately after he signed a Nov. 10 peace deal that saw Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that had been held by Armenian forces for more than a quarter-century.
The protests have gathered pace this week, and the feud with his top military commanders has weakened Pashinyan’s position.
The immediate trigger for the standoff was Pashinyan’s decision to oust the first deputy chief of the military’s General Staff, a group of the armed forces’ top commanders.
Pashinyan on Thursday accused top military officers of attempting a coup after they demanded he step down, and urged troops to only listen to his orders.
The prime minister also denied rumors that he was preparing to flee the country.
Supporters of Pashinyan and the opposition engaged in sporadic scuffles on the streets of Yerevan on Thursday.
International reaction
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson on Thursday said the Kremlin is monitoring developments in Armenia “with concern” as the prime minister accuses top military officers of attempting a coup.
Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin considers it an “internal affair of Armenia” said the situation should proceed “within constitutional framework”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday said Turkey “strongly condemned” the alleged coup attempt in Armenia.
“It is unacceptable for soldiers to call for an elected government to resign,” Cavusoglu said during a news conference alongside Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
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