Armenia’s foreign minister resigns amid outrage over ceasefire deal
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has resigned amid growing discontent across the South Caucasus nation with a recent ceasefire agreement between the Armenian government and Azerbaijan.
The Foreign Ministry made the announcement via Facebook on Monday.
Mnatsakanyan had held the position since May 2018.
The administration of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been under pressure since a large protest last week with thousands of people in attendance demanding that he step down over the truce, which secured territorial advances for Azerbaijan in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh following six weeks of intense fighting.
The ceasefire halted military action in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians.
Pashinyan said he had no choice but to sign the agreement to prevent further territorial losses. He said the situation was a “catastrophe.”
On Saturday, Armenian authorities said they had foiled an attempt on the prime minister’s life.
“Today I clearly stated that violence or the provoking of violence (especially armed violence) cannot in any way be a means of action for the government,” the Armenian prime minister said on Facebook.
Pashinyan also underlined that he expected the opposition to declare that it did not back “any violent action.”
Following the report on the assassination attempt, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) arrested opposition leader Artur Vanetsyan, the former head of the country’s security services.
Vanetsyan, leader of the center-right ‘Homeland’ party, was released on Sunday after a court ruled that his detention lacked legal grounds.
Moreover, a dozen opposition leaders that had been taken into custody for organizing anti-government protests were also released.
In 1992, the Armenian separatists, backed by the government in Yerevan, broke from Azerbaijan in a war that killed some 30,000 people.
The conflict re-erupted in late September, becoming the worst fighting in the region in decades.
The Moscow-brokered peace deal was announced by the Armenian premier last week.
The weeks of heavy fighting left at least 2,400 people dead and displaced tens of thousands.
Under the ceasefire agreement, 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops are being deployed to the region.
The deal was celebrated in Azerbaijan, unlike in Armenia.
Malaysia working on resolution to expel Israel from United Nations
Ambassador: Japan studying recognition of State of Palestine
Indonesia urges UNSC to take 'decisive action' against Israeli regime
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | Nurses protest against Israeli genocide at UN HQ
VIDEO | France-Israel football row
VIDEO | Archbishop of Canterbury quits over handling of abuse by pedo volunteer John Smyth
Hezbollah hits Tel Aviv with ballistic missiles; debuts tactical rocket in anti-Israeli struggle
VIDEO | Iraqi resistance fighters strike ‘vital targets’ across occupied territories
VIDEO | Hezbollah leader to fighters: You are the pride shaking foundations of Zionism
Iran not worried that Trump may toughen oil sanctions: Minister
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
