General Staff demands Pashinyan's resignation; Prime Minister calls it a coup attempt

The leadership of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, headed by Onik Gasparyan, issued a statement demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister and the government. The trigger was the dismissal of First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Tigran Khachatryan.

Nikol Pashinyan called the statement an attempted military coup and announced that he had signed a decree dismissing Gasparyan from his post. The Prime Minister urged his supporters to gather at Republic Square.

The opposition held a parallel rally outside the parliament building and demanded Pashinyan's resignation. Marches by both sides took place without clashes.

President Armen Sarkissian has not yet signed the decree on the resignation of the Chief of the General Staff. Russia urged the parties to resolve the situation within the framework of the Constitution.