YEREVAN, Armenia: Armenian police detained dozens of individuals in Yerevan for attempting to block streets in protest against the government’s plans to concede land to Azerbaijan.
The protests stem from Armenia’s decision to hand over territory it has controlled since the 1990s as part of efforts to secure a peace deal with Azerbaijan and prevent further conflict.
Despite weeks of demonstrations and road blockades by protesters, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has continued with border delimitation efforts. Protest leader Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan called for a renewed demonstration in Yerevan, prompting hundreds to join the protest.
The longstanding territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, particularly over Nagorno-Karabakh, has intensified tensions between the two nations since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.