Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan finds himself in trouble as military leaders call for his resignation. He, in turn, claims they are trying to oust him in a coup.
| Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 26.02.2021
It has been three months since Armenia's defeat to Azerbaijan in the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave and the country remains politically unstable today. Now, high-ranking military figures such as, Onik Gasparyan, chief of the armed forces general staff, are calling for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.
Pashinyan says the military is attempting to stage a coup. Meanwhile, thousands of Armenians have taken to the streets of the capital Yerevan, with western states calling on the country's military leaders to practice restraint.
In a recent interview, Pashinyan said Armenia had used very few Russian-built short-range Iskander missiles against Azerbaijan because the weapons had "failed" or proven unreliable. Armenia’s deputy chief of armed forces staff denied the claim. Russia's Defense Ministry, too, questioned the prime minister's claim, saying that no Iskander missiles had been deployed at all.
Pashinyan subsequently fired the deputy armed forces general. That prompted Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan and 40 other high-ranking military figures to call for the prime minister's resignation. In response, Pashinyan called on President Armen Vardani Sargsyan to sack Gasparyan. The president is currently in talks with all parties. Details on the state of negotiations have not yet emerged.
Armenian political analyst Ruben Megrabjan tells DW he shares Pashinyan's interpretation of events, agreeing that the "military is attempting a coup." He says "parts of the military leadership interfered in the country's political process, violating the constitution."
| Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 26.02.2021
Pashinyan is holding onto power, yet he finds himself in an increasingly precarious situation. The prime minister has faced criticism since signing a November 2020 ceasefire that involved ceding large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh enclave — supported by Armenia but, nevertheless, not internationally recognized — to Azerbaijan. Thousands of Armenian soldiers died in the fighting and the country's opposition consequently urged Pashinyan to resign. Now, such calls are getting louder once more. Opposition protests have been staged in the capital and with tents linings the streets of Yerevan, the situation remains tense.
The US and EU have called on Armenian military leaders to practice restraint. Moscow, which is regarded as a protector in Armenia, has peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh, yet has kept out of the dispute. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly spoke to Prime Minister Pashinyan by phone, though he has not publicly commented on the affair.
Snap elections could provide a path out of the deadlock. Yet Prime Minister Pashinyan's chances of winning are slim. His approval ratings have fallen from over 80% after the country's peaceful revolution in 2018, to just about 30% presently.
This article has been translated from German by Benjamin Restle