Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called on Armenian parties to exercise restraint and avoid violence amid disputes between the military and the government in Yerevan.

In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran is closely monitoring developments in neighboring country, the ministry’s website reported. 

The Armenian Army issued a statement on Thursday, demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.

The prime minister then accused top military officers of attempting a coup, prompting a rally of thousands of supporters.

The army’s demand came in response to the prime minister’s handling of Armenia’s conflict with the Republic of Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which ended in November 2020 with Azeri forces making territorial gains.

The mountain region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is populated and claimed by ethnic Armenians. Fierce fighting broke out between the two in September, but ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire about a month later. 

Iran also offered its peace initiative and called for the return of all occupied lands of Azerbaijan by Armenia and respect for international borders while the security of ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is protected.