It seems that the decision taken by the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to sign the agreement to stop the war in the Nagorno Karabakh region was not only "painful", as he put it, but rather the spark that continues to ignite and rages, and may constitute the end that puts an end to the course of his government.

The agreement on the ninth of last November provided for the return of large areas of the region to the arch-neighbor, Azerbaijan, at which time the hero turned into a "traitor" and the first and directly responsible for the defeat, although the decision was supported by the army.

After the "defeat" agreement, the army leadership was silent and supported the prime minister, as if it was biting her wound, after a humiliating military defeat in the face of the country's historic enemy, Azerbaijan.

On the other hand, the opposition organized protests and demonstrations demanding the resignation of the prime minister, after what it described as a "catastrophic management" of the bloody conflict in the Nagorno Karabakh region, which lasted for 6 weeks with Azerbaijan, and resulted in the killing of about 6 thousand civilians and military personnel from both sides.

Iskander missiles triggered the crisis, although they were not used in the last war (Anatolia)

Iskander missiles explode the crisis

It came on February 24, when Pashinyan announced that the Russian Iskander missiles were the reason for the defeat against Azerbaijan, as only 10% of them exploded during the war.

The Prime Minister opened fire on himself, whether from the army leadership or the opposition, or even from the Russian ally.

These statements sparked public mockery and laughter from Tigran Khatchatrian, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, who declared that these missiles were not used in the last war.

After that, Pashinyan asked Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to dismiss Khatchatrian, in response to that mockery, which angered the stalking Staff Command, which immediately demanded the prime minister to resign, and considered that he was "no longer able to take the necessary decisions." Defeat in the war against Azerbaijan.

"The ineffective way in which the current government is running and the massive mistakes in terms of foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of collapse," the General Staff said in a statement.

Coup attempt

Pashinyan responded to the army with a decision to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan, against the background of what he described as an attempted military coup taking place in the country, and he called on his supporters to take to the streets in response to this attempt.

In his speech to the crowds of his supporters, the Prime Minister - who then appeared with his wife, son and daughter outside the main government building - confirmed that "the most important problem now is to keep power in the hands of the people, because I consider what is happening a military coup."

But he stressed that "it is important to avoid confrontations despite the escalating tension," and said that "the threat of a coup can be managed, as we do not have enemies inside Armenia, we only have brothers and sisters."

Successive developments

The opposition renewed the mobilization of its supporters, and thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Yerevan over the past days to demand the resignation of the prime minister, and affirmed their rejection of his management of the war with Azerbaijan, which many consider "a national insult."

Pashinyan called on the opposition to stop protesting and start talks to search for a solution to the political crisis, and said that the country will overcome the crisis by appealing to the constitution.

President Armen Sarkissian - whose position is largely symbolic - had a role in supporting the opposition and the army, as he announced his refusal so far to sign the Prime Minister’s order to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, and the Presidency said in a statement that the crisis “cannot be resolved through repeated changes. For administrators. "

Shortly after the presidential statement, Pashinyan wrote on Facebook that he would send the matter to the presidency again, saying that its decision did not "at all" defuse the crisis.

Today, the National Security Council called on the Armenian president to ratify the prime minister's decision to dismiss the Chief of Staff, at a time when the turmoil in the streets continues as the government’s supporters and opponents gather.

For his part, the leader of the Karabakh region, Araik Harutyunyan, offered mediation between Pashinyan and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and said, "We have already shed enough blood, and the time has come to overcome the crises and move forward," and urged all parties not to escalate.

Putin (right) oversaw the signing of the November 2020 agreement that ended the recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan (Reuters)

Russian and international position

Moscow did not take escalatory steps on the ground, and considered that Pashinyan's statements about its missile system were based on misleading information conveyed to him, and reminded the Russian Defense Ministry that the Iskander missiles were successfully used in Syria and proved to be effective.

The Russian leadership confined itself to expressing its concern about what is happening in the former Soviet republic, which has a Russian military base, and urged the two parties to solve the crisis peacefully and within the framework of the constitution.

For its part, the United States called Thursday for "restraint" and urged the Armenian armed forces "not to interfere" in the country's political affairs, and the European Union called on the Armenian army to remain neutral in political matters.

The future of the crisis

Observers believe that the political crisis in Armenia will continue at a time when the scene is getting more complex.

The Armenian people realize that if Pashinyan resigns, power will return to those against whom the color revolution broke out, and who for two decades had not succeeded in resolving the Karabakh region crisis.

The ignition of a new spark of war with its victorious neighbor, Azerbaijan, may be a way out, as the sound of bullets louder then every sound.