Pashinyan fires Armenian army chief amid political crisis

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday, March 10 that Chief of Army General Staff Onik Gasparyan had been relieved of his duties.

The decree on Gasparyan's dismissal was first issued on February 25 when the country's top military brass demanded Pashinyan's resignation. And although President Armen Sarkissian did not sign Pashinyan's proposal to sack the Chief of Army General Staff, he was relieved of his post nonetheless, as the President did not sent the draft decree to the Constitutional Court either, thus paving the way for his dismissal.

Back in February, the prime minister called the demand for his resignation an attempted coup and began legal proceedings to force out Gasparyan.

Also Wednesday, Sarkissian filed an application with the Constitutional Court to determine whether the law "On Military Service and Status of Military Servant" from November 15, 2017 complies with the Armenian Constitution.

"The President expresses hope that the decision [by the Constitutional Court] will arrive soon and contribute to the resolution of the current crisis," his office said in a statement.