Thursday, February 25, 2021 Armenian President In No Rush To Sack Army Chief February 25, 2021 Armenia -- President Armen Sarkissian speaks during an official ceremony at the presidential palace in Yerevan. Despite apparent pressure from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, President Armen Sarkissian was in no rush on Thursday to sack Armenia’s top army general at odds with the government. Pashinian announced that he has requested a presidential decree relieving Colonel-General Onik Gasparian of his duties shortly after the Armenian military’s top brass accused the government of misrule and demanded its resignation. Pashinian said Sarkissian must sign such a decree as he addressed thousands of supporters who rallied in Yerevan. “If the president of the republic does not sign that motion does it mean he is joining the coup d’etat?” he asked. “In the existing situation nobody must try to draw the president into political processes in any way,” Sarkissian’s office said in a statement issued late in the evening. “Any attempt to put pressure on the president is unacceptable.” The office pointed out that the Armenian constitution gives the president three days to sign or reject decrees proposed by the prime minister. “Based on the need to ensure the normal functioning of state bodies, the president has until now not objected to the appointment and dismissal of state officials [proposed by the prime minister.] But amid martial law and the existing crisis, the dismissal of the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces after the above-mentioned statement [by the military] would not be a regular personnel change,” it said, pointing to the army’s vital role in defending Armenia. It remained unclear whether Sarkissian will agree to fire Gasparian. The presidential office said only that his top priority now is to help de-escalate and end the grave political crisis in Armenia. It stressed that he is not siding with any political faction. Sarkissian was quick to formalize late on Wednesday the sacking of General Gasparian’s first deputy, Tiran Khachatrian, initiated by Pashinian. The military strongly condemned the sacking in its statement that demanded the government’s resignation. Echoing Armenian opposition demands, Sarkissian urged Pashinian to resign and hand over power to an interim government following the Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the war in Karabakh on November 10. Pashinian has refused to do that. Putin Urges Calm In Armenia February 25, 2021 RUSSIA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) board in Moscow, February 24, 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian by phone on Thursday after Moscow expressed concern at the political crisis in Armenia deepened by the Armenian military’s demands for the government’s resignation. “Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of maintaining order and calm in Armenia and resolving the situation within the framework of the law,” the Kremlin said in a statement on the phone call. “The head of the Russian state called on all parties to show restraint,” it said. Speaking earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov likewise urged Armenian state and political actors to ease their mounting tensions and avoid unconstitutional actions. “We are watching the situation in Armenia with alarm,” the TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying. “And we regard that as an exclusively internal affair of Armenia, our very important and close ally in the Caucasus.” Peskov would not be drawn on a possible Russian mediation in ending the crisis. ARMENIA -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses his supporters during a gathering on Republic Square in Yerevan, February 25, 2021 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazian also spoke with by phone. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the two men “stressed the need to maintain regional security and stability.” It gave no others details. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu similarly phoned his Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian. According to the Armenian Defense ministry’s readout of the phone call, Shoigu and Harutiunian discussed the “current situation in Armenia.” Peskov said that political stability in Armenia is essential for a continued implementation of a Russian-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement that stopped the war in Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10. The Armenian opposition holds Pashinian responsible for the Armenian side’s defeat in the six-week war and wants him to resign. The prime minister has rejected these demands. Russian pro-government lawmakers on Wednesday strongly condemned Pashinian for suggesting Armenia’s most advanced Russian-manufactured missiles proved useless during the hostilities. U.S., EU Call For De-Escalation Of Tensions In Armenia February 25, 2021 Armenia - The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. The United States and the European Union reacted to the deepening political crisis in Armenia on Thursday, urging local stakeholders to avoid violence and defuse tensions though dialogue. “We encourage all parties to exercise calm and restraint and to de-escalate tensions peacefully, without violence,” the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said in a statement. “The United States is committed to supporting Armenia’s democratic reforms, in line with our shared values, and stresses the importance of democratic institutions and processes as Armenians look to address their political differences through dialogue,” it added. “Political differences must be resolved peacefully and in strict adherence to the principles and processes of parliamentary democracy,” read a separate statement released by the EU’s foreign policy spokesman, Peter Stano. In a clear reference to the Armenian military’s demands for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s resignation, Stano said: “In line with the Armenian Constitution, the armed forces ‘shall maintain neutrality in political matters and shall be under civilian control.’ Maintaining the democratic and constitutional order is the only way Armenia can effectively tackle the challenges it is confronted with.” The military’s top brass voiced its unprecedented demand amid ongoing anti-government rallies staged by Armenian opposition groups. Pashinian rejected and condemned it as a coup attempt. By contrast, opposition leaders voiced support for the army generals. Thousands Rally For, Against Armenian PM February 25, 2021 Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters at Republic Square, Yerevan, February 25, 2021. Thousands of people rallied in Yerevan on Thursday in rival demonstrations sparked by the Armenian military’s demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his government. Pashinian again accused the military of attempting to stage a coup and demanded the removal of Armenia’s top general as he addressed supporters who gathered in the city’s central Republic Square. He also offered to hold crisis talks with opposition groups seeking to topple him over his handling of last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Mind your business: the defense of Armenia’s territorial integrity and borders. This is my order and nobody can disobey it,” he said, appealing to the army’s top brass that demanded his resignation earlier in the day. “The army cannot be drawn into political processes. The army must obey only the people and the political authority elected by them,” he told the crowd that chanted “Nikol prime minister!” Pashinian also said that President Armen Sarkissian should approve his motion to fire Colonel-General Onik Gasparian, the chief of the army’s General Staff. Alternatively, he added, Gasparian should tender his resignation. Sarkissian seemed in no rush to sign a decree relieving Gasparian of his duties. In a written appeal to the nation, Sarkissian expressed serious concern over the political turmoil in the country and urged state bodies, political actors and ordinary citizens to show “restraint and common sense.” Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his political allies and supporters march through Yerevan, February 25, 2021. The head of state, who has largely ceremonial powers, also said he is “urgently taking steps to find ways of easing tensions and resolving the situation peacefully.” He did not elaborate. In a joint statement, Gasparian and four dozen other generals and colonels accused Pashinian’s government of mismanaging the country and putting it “on the brink of destruction.” The statement followed the unexpected sacking of Gasparian’s first deputy, Tiran Khachatrian. The General Staff reaffirmed its demands in another statement issued shortly before the start of the Pashinian-led rally. Meanwhile, an alliance more than a dozen opposition parties rallied supporters in another Yerevan square to voice support for the military. Speakers at the opposition rally included Seyran Ohanian and Yuri Khachaturov, former chiefs of the army staff highly critical of the current government. Both retired generals echoed opposition claims that Pashinian is to blame for Armenia’s defeat in the war. Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan's Liberty Square to demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation, February 25, 2021. Pashinian insisted that it is the country’s “corrupt” former leaders who are primarily responsible for the outcome of the six-week war stopped by a Russian-brokered truce on November 10. Addressing thousands of his supporters at Republic Square, Pashinian expressed readiness to start “political consultations” with the opposition on “how to resolve this situation.” He complained that the opposition rejected his December offer to hold snap general elections. “A change of the government can take place only through elections,” the prime minister said before marching with the crowd to other parts of the Armenian capital. Opposition leaders and their supporters chanting “Armenia without Nikol!” marched, meanwhile, to the Armenian parliament building and blocked an adjacent street. The two opposition parties represented in the parliament demanded an emergency session of the National Assembly on the deepening political crisis. Russia ‘Alarmed’ By Political Crisis In Armenia February 25, 2021 RUSSIA -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks with journalists gathered at the World Trade Centre's congress centre to follow Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing his annual press conference via a video link from the Novo-Ogaryovo state residenc Russia expressed concern on Thursday at the political crisis in Armenia deepened by the Armenian military’s demands for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s resignation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged Armenian state and political actors to ease mounting tensions and avoid unconstitutional actions. “We are watching the situation in Armenia with alarm,” the TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying. “And we regard that as an exclusively internal affair of Armenia, our very important and close ally in the Caucasus.” Peskov also said Moscow has not yet initiated contacts with Armenian leaders in connection with the dramatic developments in Yerevan. He would not be drawn on a possible Russian mediation in ending the crisis. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazian by phone. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the two men “stressed the need to maintain regional security and stability.” It gave no others details. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu similarly phoned his Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry’s readout of the phone call, Shoigu and Harutiunian discussed the “current situation in Armenia.” Peskov said that political stability in Armenia is essential for a continued implementation of a Russian-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement that stopped the war in Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10. The Armenian opposition holds Pashinian responsible for the Armenian side’s defeat in the six-week war and wants him to resign. The prime minister has rejected these demands. Russian pro-government lawmakers on Wednesday strongly condemned Pashinian for suggesting Armenia’s most advanced Russian-manufactured missiles proved useless during the hostilities. Armenian Military Demands Government’s Resignation February 25, 2021 Armenia - General Onik Gasparian, chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, February 10, 2021. In what Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian called a coup attempt, the Armenian military’s top brass demanded his and his government resignation on Thursday, accusing them of misrule and incompetence. “Armenia’s prime minister and government are no longer able to make adequate decisions for the Armenian people in this crisis and fateful situation,” read a joint statement signed by Colonel-General Onik Gasparian, the chief of the army’s General Staff, and four dozen other high-ranking officers. “The Armenian Armed Forces have long patiently tolerated the incumbent authorities’ ‘attacks’ aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces, but everything has its limits … The incumbent authorities’ inefficient governance and very serious foreign policy mistakes have put the country on the brink of destruction,” charged the statement. The statement appeared to have been triggered by the sacking of Gasparian’s first deputy, Tiran Khachatrian, which was initiated by Pashinian late on Tuesday. Its signatories, among them the heads of General Staff divisions as well as the commanders of all five army corps, condemned the sacking as an “irresponsible and anti-state move” reflecting Pashinian’s whims, rather than Armenia’s defense and security needs. Pashinian was quick to condemn the statement as an attempt to stage a coup d’etat and urged supporters to gather at Yerevan’s Republic Square to “decide our further actions.” “It is unacceptable for the armed forces to engage in politics and make political statements,” he said in a video address livestreamed on Facebook. Pashinian indicated that Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian remains loyal to him. He said he also decided to fire Gasparian. A crowd led by Pashinian began marching through the center of Yerevan in the afternoon. The prime minister was due to address a pro-government at 4 p.m. local time. The General Staff statement came amid renewed anti-government protests staged by an alliance of Armenian opposition parties blaming Pashinian for Armenia’s defeat in the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh and demanding his resignation. The army top brass warned the authorities to “refrain from using force against the people.” The opposition alliance called the Homeland Salvation Movement hailed the military’s unprecedented demand and urged supporters to rally in another Yerevan square to voice support for the top army generals. It accused Pashinian of seeking to provoke “civil clashes and bloodshed.” The Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), a key member of the alliance, also backed the military in a separate statement. “Nikol Pashinian has a last chance to resign without upheavals,” the BHK leadership said. Bright Armenia (LHK), another major opposition party not affiliated with the alliance, called on both sides to avoid any street gatherings and defuse tensions. The LHK stated at the same time that the political crisis cannot be resolved without Pashinian’s resignation. Pashinian again ruled out his resignation as he joined pro-government demonstrators and spoke to journalists. “I am not sure that could solve the problem,” he said. “I made several proposals [to the opposition] and they were rejected and I believe that the people’s power must be protected and preserved.” Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.