Armenian opposition urges PM Pashinyan to quit

YEREVAN, Armenian

Armenian opposition supporters took to the streets Tuesday, urging Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to quit over the country's embarassing defeat in Karabakh.

The protesters gathered at the Republic Square in the capital city Yerevan, asking the premier to step down. Some also assembled outside the buildings and foriegn and justice ministries.

They blocked the Yerevan–Vanadzor road with heavy-duty vehicles.

Speaking on the occasion, Vazgen Manuktan, the opposition's prime ministerial candidate, urged law enforcers to join the protesters. "Every hour is critical. Don't make people wait in squares. Join us," he said.

Reacting to the angry demonstrators, Pashinyan said the opposition was fighting for its own interests rather than that of the people.

He said "elites" who ruled to rule the country before 2018 want a revenge, and grab the influence and power they lost.

What happened in Karabakh?

Relations between the former Soviet republics 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.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27 and ended with a Russia-brokered truce 44 days later.

Baku liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from occupation during this time.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk