Former Armenian PM 'was in touch with Russian officials' before quittingMay 10, 2018 - 11:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In the 24 hours before former Armenian prime minister Serzh Sargsyan quit on April 23, he had telephone calls with officials in Moscow, a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters. Sargsyan was forced to resign amid massive protests that paralyzed traffic across the country for a week. Two weeks later on may 8, the Armenian parliament elected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as the country’s new prime minister after weeks of political standoff, a civil campaign against the ruling authorities and massive protests in Yerevan and across the country. In the days before protesters overthrew Armenia’s veteran leader, Russian officials had high-level phone contacts with the protest leaders and the ruling elite that was clinging to power, according to three people briefed on the discussions. In the streets, Pashinyan’s supporters were encouraged to display only Armenian national symbols - a conscious break from the Ukraine revolt which angered Moscow by adopting the European Union flag. On the other side of the stand-off, Sargsyan, Armenia’s ruler for a decade, was in touch with Russian officials as he fought for survival, according to a diplomatic source who spoke on condition of anonymity. In the intervening 24 hours, Sargsyan had intensive discussions with his own allies and officials. They discussed the possibility of implementing a state of emergency, which would give security agencies greater powers to use force against the protesters. “We had two options: parliament could introduce a state of emergency in the country or Serzh Sargsyan could resign,” said Eduard Sharmazanov, a lawmaker with the ruling Republican Party and deputy speaker of parliament. “Introducing a state of emergency would not solve the problem, but postpone it.” In the same time period, while the internal discussions were going on, Sargsyan was in touch with Russia about what do to next, said the diplomatic source. “He weighed all the pros and cons and, as far I know, he also had some talks with people in Moscow,” the diplomatic source said. A businessman close to Pashinyan said his contacts in the Republican Party told him Sargsyan had conversations with Russian officials during this period. Soon afterwards, Sargsyan quit, opening the way for his opponents to take power. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). |