YEREVAN, Armenia: Thousands of Armenians took to the streets in Yerevan on Sunday, protesting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.
These demonstrations began in April after the Armenian government agreed to return land to Azerbaijan that it had controlled since the 1990s.
The protests gathered momentum on Sunday, with several thousand demonstrators assembling in Yerevan’s Republic Square, directly outside government headquarters. Despite the unrest, Pashinyan’s leadership remains intact, although he faces opposition from influential archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.
Galstanyan, addressing the rally, accused Pashinyan of seeking peace with Azerbaijan at the cost of Armenia’s dignity. He urged parliament to hold an extraordinary session to impeach the prime minister, advocating for the government’s resignation and the establishment of an interim administration to organize early elections.
Protesters later marched towards the parliament building, increasing pressure on Pashinyan. Shushan Sargsyan, a 20-year-old student, emphasized the urgency of their actions, stating that Armenia’s very existence was at risk. David Ohanyan, 36, echoed this sentiment, calling for nationwide participation in the protests.
Galstanyan, who has temporarily left his religious duties to run for prime minister, faces legal hurdles due to his dual citizenship with Canada. This complicates his eligibility for the office under Armenian law, prompting speculation on how he might address this issue.
Last week, Armenia officially returned control of four border villages to Azerbaijan, a move Pashinyan defended as essential for securing peace. The two countries have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed from Armenian separatists last year.
