Armenian leader says he faces “coup attempt” amid anger over “painful” deal to end war with Azerbaijan

The prime minister of Armenia said on Thursday that his army had staged a coup attempt against him, as a ceasefire he had struck to end a bloody war with neighboring Azerbaijan just a few months ago, returned to haunt him. Armenian army staff calls for Pashinyan to resign after months of protest against nationwide perception defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The staff issued a statement calling on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. It was signed by top military officials.

Pashinyan called the army’s request a “military coup attempt” and ordered the chief of staff to be expelled.

Armenian President Armen Sarkisian, whose role has little power and is symbolic, issued a statement later on Thursday, inviting “state bodies, law enforcement, political forces, all citizens” to show restraint.

“Every unforeseen word or action increases tensions and deepens the crisis,” he said. “Reaffirming the presidency’s role as a balancing body, I am taking urgent action to turn off tensions and find ways to resolve the situation peacefully,” Sarkisian said without elaborating.

Protests that have erupted since the brief war with Azerbaijan last autumn intensified this week following Pashinyan’s order to dismiss the first deputy chief of staff. There were growing calls for him to resign.

The root of the problem

Protests against Pashinyan began in November after he signed a ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan, which ceded territory occupied by Armenian forces. The agreement ended a six-week war on the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in which thousands died, but even Pashinyan himself acknowledged that it was at least a partial defeat.

The two nations have been disputing ownership of the Nagorno-Karabakh mountain enclave in the Caucus region for decades. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but has been self-governing by and is primarily populated by ethnic Armenians.

An earlier ceasefire, reached after a bloody war on the region in the 1990s, was broken for the first time in late September 2020, leading to the worst clashes in decades. The violence left thousands dead on both sides and moved more than 100,000 people from their homes.

The new ceasefire was adopted under an agreement signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in November, which was published by the Kremlin. The agreement left Azerbaijan in control of parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that were seized by Armenian forces during the autumn fighting. Armenian forces were forced to withdraw from several adjacent areas, but retained control of the rest of the region.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev referred to the ceasefire agreement as an “capitulation” of Armenia, praising the agreement and success of his army.

“For our people, these days are the happiest.” wrote on Twitter.

In a Facebook post partially titled “My Sin,” Pashinyan called his decision to sign the agreement “incredibly painful.”

“We made this decision following an in-depth analysis of the military situation and the assessment of those who know the situation best,” Pashinyan said in a statement. “Also, based on the belief that this is the best possible solution to the current situation.”