"Only by the decision of the people": Pashinyan announced his readiness to resign from the post of Prime Minister of Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he was ready to resign.

According to him, it is necessary to hold early parliamentary elections in the country.

The head of the republic's government noted that he would leave his post only if such a decision is made by the Armenian people. 

At the same time, Pashinyan expressed his readiness to continue to fulfill his powers as prime minister "in these difficult times" if the leadership of the republic regains the confidence of the population.

"There is only one way to get an answer to all these questions - the holding of early parliamentary elections," Pashinyan added.

The prime minister also appealed to the political forces of Armenia with a proposal to hold elections in 2021.

In addition, according to the head of the Armenian government, the opposition, which demanded his resignation, was unable to enlist the support of the broad popular masses.

Pashinyan claims that, despite the opposition forces having financial resources and access to media platforms, as well as "enormous organizational capabilities," including in the matter of holding protests, rallies and demonstrations, the number of their supporters "dropped to a minimum."

“I don’t cling to the prime minister’s chair, but I can’t take the post of head of government, which I received by the will of the people,” concluded Pashinyan.

Meanwhile, on Friday, December 25, protest actions were once again held in Yerevan.

The prime minister's opponents again demanded his resignation.

Demonstrators blocked the central Baghramyan Avenue in the Armenian capital, where the presidential residence and parliament building are located.

As reported by Sputnik Armenia, the participants of today's actions chanted such slogans as “Nikol, go away”, “Nikol is a traitor” and “Armenia without Nikola”.

The opposition reported 34 detainees during the demonstration.

A day earlier, a rally was also held in the capital of Armenia, about 80 people were detained.

To remind, protest actions in Armenia began in November shortly after the conclusion of a trilateral ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The document was signed by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

According to the agreements reached, the parties to the conflict cease hostilities, stop at occupied positions and exchange prisoners.

The agreement also provides for the sending of Russian peacekeepers to the line of contact.

In addition, Yerevan transferred the Kelbajar, Lachin and Aghdam districts to Baku's control.

Pashinyan himself has repeatedly commented on the agreement on Karabakh.

In particular, he said that the army insisted on signing the treaty, since "the resource was exhausted."

“The decision on a joint statement on Karabakh was not discussed, since it had to be taken promptly, in a critical situation on the battlefield,” TASS quoted Pashinyan as saying.

Later, he also stated that he had signed the agreement, as this step allowed him to preserve what the Armenian troops "could not have held."

Pashinyan then clarified that if the hostilities continued, there was a high probability of losing Stepanakert, Martuni, Askeran, after which “defensive areas and thousands of soldiers would be surrounded.”

At the beginning of the mass protests in Yerevan, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian stated that holding early parliamentary elections in Armenia is inevitable.

“Taking into account the current situation, taking into account public demands, it is obvious that in order to avoid internal political upheavals, holding early parliamentary elections is inevitable,” the head of state said.

His appeal was published on the official website of the President of Armenia.

According to Sargsyan, the only responsible approach can be an objective assessment by the government and the ruling political force of their potential, the presentation of a roadmap on the timing of the proposed constitutional processes.

"The government of the country will be transferred to a highly professional government of national accord," the president said in a statement.

In addition, he said that he had met with representatives of various spheres of public and political life.

“The absolute majority of the meeting participants agree on one issue: the resignation of the prime minister in accordance with the Constitution or the termination of his powers and the holding of early parliamentary elections,” Sargsyan said.