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People attend an opposition demonstration to demand the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia February 26, 2021 - Sputnik International

Live Updates: Armenian PM Ready to Hold Snap Parliamentary Elections Amid Political Crisis

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Earlier in the day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a meeting of the country's Security Council to discuss internal and external threats, the press office of the Cabinet of Ministers said.

The Kremlin is satisfied with Yerevan's statements that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had been misinformed about Iskander missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the Armenpress news agency reported, citing Pashinyan's spokeswoman, that the prime minister came to the conclusion, after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that he had received an incorrect report about the missiles.

A political crisis erupted in Yerevan after the deputy chief of the Armenian general staff mocked Pashinyan's controversial comment about the alleged failure of Russian-supplied Iskander missiles during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. This triggered a series of military dismissals. The armed forces issued a statement demanding the resignation of Pashinyan himself, the prime minister regarded this as an attempted coup and called on his supporters to take to the streets. Meanwhile, opposition activists have set up a tent camp near parliament and called on the prime minister to step down.

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17:23 GMT 01.03.2021

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday at a rally of his supporters that the country's armed forces and Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan had not crossed the "red line", expressing hope that they would not do this, and also suggested that former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had engaged in inciting the military who demanded the resignation of the prime minister.

"I must say that the command of the Armed Forces and the chief of the general staff have not yet crossed the 'red line.' I hope they won't", Pashinyan said.

He drew parallels between current events and the events of 1 March 2008.

"The statement of the General Staff is also the result of the influence of the military in 2008. Among those who persuaded the generals to make a decision was Serzh Sargsyan. Onik, you were wrong, fulfilling the will not of the people, but of the 'outcast'", Pashinyan said.

 

15:36 GMT 01.03.2021

"If political forces agree with our proposals [on consultations on early elections], we are ready to go to early elections ... I want the people to get this opportunity. I want to be sure that you forgive us, and I challenge the parliamentary opposition, let's go to early parliamentary elections", Pashinyan said, adding that the elections will show what the people demand.

15:31 GMT 01.03.2021

"We must work to adopt a new or reformed constitution by the national referendum in October. I admit the possibility of a transition to a semi-presidential form of government", Pashinyan said.

He noted that this should be done together with the parliament, the president, and political forces.

13:26 GMT 01.03.2021

Yerevan made no requests for Moscow’s assistance in connection with the ongoing political situation in Armenia, the Russian upper house speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, told Sputnik on Monday.

"Everything that happens in Armenia is an internal affair of Armenia. There were no requests from the leadership of Armenia, from my colleague [the chairman of the Armenian parliament] to Russia to help Armenia in anything", Matviyenko said, adding that Russia never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries.

The upper house speaker also said that Russia follows the latest developments in the South Caucasus country with concern and hopes that the situation there will soon stabilize.

"Of course, we are following all this with concern. And we are interested in the situation in Armenia to stabilize as soon as possible. This is important for Armenia itself, for the Armenian people, it is important for stability in the region, of course", Matviyenko said.

The speaker also called on all political forces in Armenia to peacefully resolve the situation.

12:24 GMT 01.03.2021

"Today Sarkissian met with Pashinyan. Since Sarkissian is ill, the prime minister visited him. Naturally, the president and the prime minister discussed the internal political situation in the country. Other reported information is an absolute lie and an attempt to further escalate the situation", the press office said.

Earlier in the day, the Mediaport Telegram channel reported that Pashinyan demanded from the president to dismiss General Staff Chief Onik Gasparyan and even made threats to Sarkissian.

11:05 GMT 01.03.2021

Opponents of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demanding his resignation, broke into an administrative building in central Yerevan on Monday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The protesters said they have information that the prefecture employees are calling on people to participate in Pashinyan's rally.

Opposition supporters were chanting "Armenia without Nikol" inside the prefecture.

Earlier in the day, the demonstrators broke into a governmental building housing several ministries.

11:04 GMT 01.03.2021

The Kremlin is satisfied with Yerevan's statements that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to the conclusion that he had been misinformed on the Iskander missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Monday.

"The record was set straight, it is highly important", Peskov said.

11:04 GMT 01.03.2021

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin came to a conclusion that he was misinformed about Iskander missiles and his statement was unrelated to Moscow-Yerevan military cooperation, the Armenpress news agency reported on Monday, citing Pashinyan’s spokeswoman Mane Gevorgyan.

According to the news agency, Gevorgyan said that Putin and Pashinyan have discussed the issue during a recent phone conversation, and the Armenian prime minister came to the conclusion that he received an incorrect report about this situation.

Armenpress also reported that Pashinyan’s controversial comment about the alleged failure of Russian-supplied Iskander missiles during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is unrelated to the allied nature of Moscow-Yerevan military cooperation.

11:03 GMT 01.03.2021

"The Security Council proposes that the President of Armenia satisfy the proposal of the Prime Minister [Nikol Pashinyan] and dismiss the Chief of the General Staff", the council’s press office said.

11:03 GMT 01.03.2021

The administration of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian said on Monday it had received a new request from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to dismiss General Staff Chief Onik Gasparyan.

This weekend, Pashinyan said he would submit another request to seek Gasparyan's dismissal, after the president turned down the draft decree on the general staff chief resignation, saying that the request contradicted the constitution. On Sunday, Vaagn Ovakimyan, a lawmaker from the ruling parliamentary faction My Step Alliance, claimed there were grounds to impeach Sarkissian.

"Rationale for disagreement with the president's objections were sent [by the prime minister] to the presidential administration in the evening of February 28, we received it on the first working day, on March 1. The president of the republic will make a statement on his stand on the draft decree within the timeframe established by law", the presidential administration said in a statement, seen by Sputnik.

The presidential office pointed to "unacceptable manipulations" and "disproportionate reaction" to Sarkissian's refusal to fire the chief of staff.

"Thereupon, we once again emphasize that the president of the republic exercises his functions only within the framework of the powers determined by the constitution, making decisions impartially and being guided exclusively by national interests. The president of the republic does not represent the interests of any political force ... in this sense, any speculation is unacceptable", the statement read on.

Sarkissian has repeatedly proposed holding consultations to settle differences, the administration concluded.

11:02 GMT 01.03.2021

"During the meeting, the external and internal security, challenges and ways to overcome them were discussed", the press office of the Cabinet of Ministers said.

11:02 GMT 01.03.2021
Opposition rallies in Yerevan - Sputnik International, 1920
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