Armenia

YEREVAN, May 3. /TASS/: Armenian lawmakers convened for a special meeting on Monday and voted down the candidacy of acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the new head of government to organize snap parliamentary elections, the meeting was broadcast live by local TV channels.

"One lawmaker voted to elect Pashinyan, three opposed and 75 abstained. Pashinyan is not elected as prime minister," President of the parliament Ararat Mirzoyan said.

YEREVAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday announced his resignation to pave the way for snap parliamentary elections scheduled for June.

"In order to implement the decision on holding snap parliamentary elections on June 20, today I resign from the position of the Prime Minister of Armenia," Pashinyan said in a televised address to the nation.

"I am resigning on Citizens' Day, and this is a symbol of the fact that we are returning to the people the power that we received from the people," he said.

YEREVAN, April 2. /TASS/: Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan has awarded defense ministry medals to specialists of the Russia radiation, chemical and biological protection forces for their assistance in combating the novel coronavirus pandemic, the press service of the Armenian defense ministry said on Friday.

YEREVAN, March 28. /TASS/: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans to resign in April in order to hold early elections.

On Sunday, Pashinyan met with the citizens of southwestern Armenia’s Armavir Region. "In April I will tender resignation so that we could hold early elections. I will remain acting prime minister until the elections," Pashinyan said.

YEREVAN, March 13. /TASS/: Clashes between opposition supporters and the police took place on Saturday outside of the residence of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, where he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The protesters tried to break through the police cordon, but were pushed back by law enforcement officers. The protesters were chanting "Armenia without Nikol" and "Nikol is a traitor".

Earlier, the presidential administration announced that the president was scheduled to meet with Pashinyan on March 13 to discuss ways out of the crisis.

YEREVAN, March 2. /TASS/: Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has decided not to sign Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motion to dismiss Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan and to turn to the Constitutional Court to review the law of military service of 2017, the presidential office said on Tuesday.

YEREVAN, February 27. /TASS/: Armenian President Armen Sarkissian decided on Saturday not to put his signature under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s order to dismiss Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan, who alongside the other military top brass, had demanded the prime minister’s resignation, the presidential press service said.

25 Feb 2021; MEMO: NATO encouraged democracy in Armenia on Thursday amid growing tension between the military and prime minister, Anadolu Agency reports.

"We are closely monitoring developments in our partner country Armenia. It's important to avoid words or actions that could lead to further escalation," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said on Twitter.

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s prime minister spoke of an attempted military coup Thursday after the military’s General Staff demanded that he step down after months of protests sparked by the nation’s defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The General Staff issued a statement calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which was signed by top military officers. The move was triggered by Pashinyan’s decision earlier this week to oust the first deputy chief of the General Staff.

YEREVAN, January 5. /TASS/: Armenian President Armen Sarkissian who is spending the New Year holidays in London with his family has tested positive for COVID-19, the president’s Executive Office informed the Hraparak newspaper on Tuesday.