YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: The statement of the Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan and other members of the staff demanding the resignation of the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the government continues to be a subject of broad discussion.

Until now, however, it is not officially known why the relations between the once mutually-trusted officials became tense.

One thing is a fact: it is not the first time that Onik Gasparyan opposes Nikol Pashinyan; their relations are strained for a very long time. Zhoghovurd daily had written back on November 26, 2020 that Onik Gasparyan submitted a resignation from the post of Chief of GS [i.e., General Staff], but both the government and the MOD generals asked him not to leave, and Gasparyan agreed.

Before that, Onik Gasparyan told Nikol Pashinyan on several occasions that the latter should resign and go if he wanted stability and development in the country, but Pashinyan did not listen to him. He also did not listen when Gasparyan said that there is no need to talk about the [Russian-made] Iskander [ballistic missile system] at all.

Pashinyan's statement about the defective Iskander was the point that forced Gasparyan and his colleagues to disseminate a public statement and demand his [Pashinyan’s] resignation.