President Armen Sarkissian said Thursday, February 25 he is "urgently" taking steps to reduce tensions and find a peaceful solution to the situation in Armenia.

The country is facing a serious political crisis after the top military brass demanded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation. The PM, however, claims he had already dismissed the chief of the Army General Staff. The parliamentary opposition has already weighed in on the matter, urging against bloodshed and calling for a peaceful transition of power.

"Today, when we haven't overcome the consequences of the war against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh - Ed.), when we have thousands of victims and wounded, when we are faced with the most serious regional threats, we, unfortunately, are finding ourselves in an extremely explosive situation, which is fraught with unforeseen consequences for our state and statehood and can lead to irreversible losses," Sarkissian said.

"The martial law is in force in the country. The external danger is real: a declaration of ceasefire is not a peace treaty. There are many challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh."

Sarkissian went on to urge restraint and common sense among the public, the authorities, the opposition and law enforcement, and called against hate speech and intolerance.