PROTESTS CONTINUES IN ARMENIA AS OPPOSITION GIVES ULTIMATUM TO PREMIER

Sun 06 December 2020:

Opposition parties in Armenia on Saturday gave an ultimatum to the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign until Dec. 8 amid the ongoing protests against the government.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have marched through the Armenian capital to call for the resignation of the country’s prime minister because of his handling of the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

In six weeks of fierce fighting that ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal on 10 November, the Azerbaijani army reclaimed lands that Armenian forces have held for more than a quarter of a century.

Protests erupted in Armenia earlier last month after Pashinyan accepted defeat by signing the deal with Azerbaijan and Russia to halt the fighting over Upper Karabakh.

The opposition parties also warned Pashinyan that there would be civil disobedience across the country if he does not resign within the given period.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Armenian protesters give ultimatum to PM Pashinyan to resignhttps://t.co/8ETCiPlG3T pic.twitter.com/LVUfxcbxF0

— Yeni Şafak English (@yenisafakEN) December 6, 2020

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.

On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.

Azerbaijan on Thursday released information on its military casualties from the latest fighting. Its defence ministry said 2,783 troops were killed and more than 100 were still missing and its government said 94 of its civilians were killed and more than 400 wounded.

Armenia’s health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 2,718 Armenian servicemen had been killed in the fighting. At least 55 Armenian civilians were also among the casualties.

Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal and to facilitate the return of refugees. The Russian troops will also ensure safe transit between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia across the Lachin region.

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent