The Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has warned of an attempted military coup after the country’s military forces attempted to push him and his cabinet to resign. Mr. Pashinyan was later seen marching with his supporters as part of a peaceful protest in the country’s capital city Yerevan. The opposition party staged a counter-protest to show their discontent with his leadership.
The army has been angered by Mr. Pashinyan’s moves to fire top military commanders and criticize the military’s performance. He has also faced mass protests after losing a conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabakh territory. The territory is international recognized as belonging to Azerbaijan, however, is controlled by ethnic Armenians since 1994. Late last year, six weeks of bloody fighting ensued and Azerbaijan not only recaptured areas around the enclave but also took the key town of Shusha inside of it.
Read More: Armenia PM Nikol Pashinyan denounces ‘attempted military coup’