Thousands of people protested in Armenia's capital Yerevan on Friday against the government's decision to cede four territories to Azerbaijan.
Last month, Armenia agreed to return four villages to Azerbaijan, in a move that has particularly upset some residents of the Tavush region. The decision came as a result of Armenia's peace drive after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia had decided to adjust the border between the two countries and cede four territories to Azerbaijan to avoid war. Ta. Protests have expanded since then, with protesters now demanding Pashinyan's resignation.
Bagrat Galstagnyan, a cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church, became an important leading figure in these protests. under consideration Calling the territorial decision unilateral and unconstitutional, Galstagnyan gave the prime minister one hour to resign, which was later extended by 15 minutes. After receiving no response, the archbishop called on the Armenian parliament to remove Pashinyan from office, vowing to commit an act of peaceful civil disobedience if it did not.
Christian Emergency Union compared The situation when Armenian Christians were “cleansed from the ancient land of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan.”
Nevertheless, Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is proceeding with negotiations with Azerbaijan. The ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the foreign ministers of both countries “welcomed the progress on demarcation” and agreed that the two countries would continue to negotiate on outstanding issues where their differences remain.
