Armenian president: PM should resign, early parliamentary elections inevitable

An address of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to the residents of Armenia, Karabakh and the Armenian diaspora was published late in the evening of November 16 on Facebook.

The main message of the president is that the situation in Armenia can be resolved by “the resignation or termination of the powers of the prime minister in accordance with the constitution and early parliamentary elections.”

This is the final opinion after political consultations, which Armen Sarkissian began immediately after the signing of the trilateral document on the ceasefire in Karabakh.

The truce sparked outrage in Armenia. Thousands of people and the opposition believe that Prime Minister Pashinyan agreed to an ‘unacceptable collusion’ and signed a document on the ‘practical voluntary surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan.’ The opposition has been holding daily protests demanding the prime minister’s resignation.

Armenia is a parliamentary country and the president does not have great powers. Therefore, in his address, the president emphasizes that he expresses the opinion of the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces of the country, representatives of the diaspora, public organizations and public figures.

“We have lost the war that was imposed on us, both on the battlefield and in the diplomatic and international arenas. The battle can be lost, but it is unacceptable to lose as a people,” the president’s address says.

To overcome the crisis, Armen Sarkissian calls on the people to unite, and politicians to display restraint and responsibility:

“It is obvious that, despite the end of the war, the Republic of Artsakh, the Republic of Armenia and the entire Armenian people are entering a period of new trials, in which every mistake can have catastrophic consequences.”