Azeris prevented Armenian soldiers returning from vacation from entering Artsakh, opposition figure says

Panorama, Armenia

Dec 24 2020

Armenia has become a dangerous place for every man to live in, Artsvik Minasyan, a member of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) party, said at a protest in front of the government building demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation on Thursday.

He underlined that the “traitor must stand trial” through a fair judiciary, which the opposition guarantees, urging each of the 14 government members to vote for ousting Pashinyan at today’s cabinet meeting.

"It is necessary to fulfill the people's demand, that is, to remove Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who failed to protect Armenia’s sovereignty and interests, from office,” the politician said.

“Every member of the government must accept this as a constitutional requirement. Afterwards, if each of you does not fulfill this demand, you will be considered the enemy of the nation, as the security of Armenia may collapse at any moment," he said.

Another ARF member Gegham Manukyan called on members of the government and police officers cordoning off the government building to join protesters, stating Nikol Pashinyan “poses a major threat to the security of Armenia and Artsakh.”

"Yesterday [Ilham] Aliyev was in Ishkhanadzor, standing near the borders of Armenia. Nikol brought the borders close to the villages of Syunik.

“The enemy [Azerbaijanis] barred the Armenian soldiers returning from a vacation from entering Artsakh to stand in their positions. They had to return to the Sisian military unit. Our positions are being emptied because the irresponsible man sitting in the government building cannot deal with any political issue," Manukyan said.