Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan has called for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, citing "the interest of the nation.”

In an article published by Ilur.am, Ter-Petrosyan said Pashinyan should step down voluntarily and immediately, be granted “legal guarantees of immunity” by parliament, and leave the country at least temporarily. A nonpartisan Deputy Prime Minister should then become acting PM and organize fair snap parliamentary elections, he said.

Ter-Petrosyan said he agrees with the opinion that Pashinyan and his team will heavily rely on administrative resources, turning polling stations into “hotbeds of tension,” he said.

“I am convinced that in that case we will witness the most disgraceful elections in the history of Armenia, which could mean the end of the Armenian statehood or its prolonged nightmarish existence,” the former President added.

Pashinyan came under fire after signing a statement with the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh almost 45 days after the start of the military hostilities. Under the deal, the Armenian side was forced to return all the seven regions surrounding Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.