Armenian protesters demand prime minister’s dismissal after Karabakh peace deal
- 20 September, 17:04
Thousands of Armenians gathered in the capital Yerevan on Wednesday to demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s dismissal due to what they described as the government’s failure to defend Nagorno-Karabakh during Azerbaijani offensive in the region.
The protest was in response to Pashinyan’s statement that the government would not interfere into the hostilities between the Azerbaijani army and the Armenian formations in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh laid their weapons while the separatist leaders in the region agreed to hold peace talks with Baku following a 24-hour “anti-terrorist” operation carried out by Azerbaijan in the breakaway region.
Armenian protesters blamed the government for what described as abandoning Nagorno-Karabakh.
Scores of protesters who had gathered in Republic Square in central Yerevan were detained after a clash with police. Armenian opposition members were among the protesters.
“The enemy is at our doorstep. We must change authorities to change national policy,” opposition politician Avetik Chalabyan said while addressing the crowd.
Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday announced the launching of “anti-terrorist” operation to disarm illegal Armenian military units in Nagorno-Karabakh region and to “restore constitutional order” in the country. The operation came after reports of the killing four Azerbaijani policeman and two civilians in two land mine explosions in parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that were under partial control of Armenian forces in the region.
