Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has refused to sign a prime ministerial order to dismiss the army’s chief of staff, deepening a national political crisis.
The country has faced turmoil since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a Russian-brokered peace accord in November, sealing a humiliating defeat to Azerbaijan after six weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Divisions widened on Thursday when Pashinyan defied a call by the military to resign, accusing it of an attempted coup and ordering the chief of the general staff, Onik Gasparyan, to be fired.
On Saturday, Sarkissian said in a statement he would not back the sacking.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused top military officers of attempting a coup after they demanded that he step down, adding fuel to months-long protests calling for his resignation.
Anti-government sentiment swelled last November, after the conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region ended, and gathered pace again this week. The conflict saw thousands killed on both sides and swathes of territory in and around the mountainous region ceded to Azerbaijan.
With pressure on Pashinyan mounting as protesters decry his handling of that war, the military on Thursday issued a statement calling for his resignation.
Pashinyan responded by firing Onik Gasparyan, the head of the army’s General Staff.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused top military officers of attempting a coup after the army demanded his resignation, prompting a rally of thousands of supporters.
The army’s demand, in a written statement on Thursday, came in response to his handling of the country’s conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended in November last year with Armenia’s loss of control over the disputed region and surrounding areas.
“The ineffective management of the current authorities and the serious mistakes in foreign policy have put the country on the brink of collapse,” the army’s general staff and other senior military officials said.