Armenian PM warns of a military coup, takes severe action

Lahore, 25th February: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warns of a coup attempt after the army demands his resignation.

Baaghi TV: Armenian Prime Minister has warned of an attempted military coup against him on Thursday after the army has demanded that he and his government should resign.

According to the Armenpress news agency, the military in its statement said, “The prime minister and the government are no longer able to make reasonable decisions.”

The statement accused Mr Pashinyan’s government of making serious mistakes in foreign policy resulting in the Armenian state being on the verge of destruction.

The statement further said, “The army has always been with the people, just like the people are with the army.”

Mr Pashinyan has faced huge protests after losing last year’s conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. During the six-weeks of fighting late last year, Azerbaijan not only recaptured areas around the enclave but also took the key town of Shusha inside it.

Russia brokered a deal afterwards, under which Azerbaijan kept the areas it had captured. As per reports, hundreds of Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the disputed area.

Pashinyan, 45, has rejected calls to step down and has urged his supporters to gather on Republic Square in the heart of Yerevan and was seen shortly afterwards walking with a loudspeaker surrounded by hundreds of backers on the streets of the city.

PM dismissed the head of the general staff of the army and said a replacement would be announced later. He said the crisis would soon be overcome constitutionally.

Pashinyan said, “The most important problem now is to keep the power in the hands of the people because I consider what is happening to be a military coup.”

It was still not clear whether the armed forces were willing to use force to back their statement demanding resignation from Pashinyan or whether their call for him to step down was just verbal.

Arayik Harutyunyan, the president of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave has offered to act as a negotiator between Pashinyan and the general staff.

He urged all sides not to escalate and said, “We have already shed enough blood. It’s time to overcome the crises and move on. I’m in Yerevan and I’m ready to become a mediator to overcome this political crisis.”

Armenia’s National Security Service also urged all sides to refrain from actions that threaten national security.

Meanwhile, Russia called for peace while monitoring the situation in Armenia with concern.

Stay tuned to Baaghi TV to read further details in this developing story!