Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan marched through the streets of the capital Yerevan with his supporters after accusing the military of mounting an attempted coup.
"The situation is tense but we have to avoid clashes," Pashinyan told his supporters through a megaphone, adding that the new political instability that follows months of protests against his government is "manageable".
AFP reports it.
Nikol Pashinyan dismissed Onik Gasparyan - who demanded his resignation and that of the government - from the post of Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.
"Today I signed the decision to release Onik Gasparyan from his duties. I regard his statement as an attempted military coup," Pashinyan said during a livestream on his Facebook page.
Interfax reports it.
"A military coup will not happen. Everything will end peacefully. We will decide what to do together with the people," Pashinyan said during a march in Yerevan.
The people's right to form authorities should not be questioned, he stressed.
Interfax reports it.
Vazgen Manukyan, the Armenian opposition candidate for prime minister, warned people against giving in to the government's provocative actions but urged his supporters to gather in Republic Square in central Yerevan.
"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is trying to lead our people to civil war, clashes and bloodshed. We ask all Armenian citizens not to fall into the provocations of this regime, to show restraint: the only guarantor of our security it's the armed forces and their command, ”Manukyan said.
Who then encouraged his supporters to gather in Piazza della Repubblica at 3pm local time.
Prime Minister Pashinyan said earlier in the day that he would speak in Republic Square at 4pm local time.
Interfax reports it.
(HANDLE).
The Kremlin follows developments in Armenia with a sense of concern but believes it is exclusively an internal affair.
This was stated by Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted by TASS.
Moscow is a close ally of Yerevan, which is part of the Eurasian Economic Union, and a prime supporter of the Armenian army.