Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has resigned amid ongoing protests against the ceasefire in the country, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Al Jazeera reports that Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire last week to resolve the ongoing conflict in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Thousands of Armenians began protesting the ceasefire and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This increased the intense pressure on the Pashinyan government. The prime minister has refused to step down, however, his foreign minister has resigned.
More than 2,300 members of the Armenian military were killed in clashes that lasted six weeks before the ceasefire. No casualties were reported from Azerbaijan.
The agreement between the three countries states that Azerbaijan will control several areas, including the city of Shusha - which Armenians see as a betrayal.
Pashinyan took the responsibility of losing the territory through the agreement. They had agreed to sign the agreement to prevent further casualties, the Armenian premier claimed.
A number of former officials have been arrested for plotting to assassinate the prime minister, Armenia’s National Security Agency said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Richard Giragosian, a researcher at the Center for Regional Studies in the Armenian capital Yerevan, warned of growing instability in the country.
He said the government’s efforts were not enough to deal with the massive loss of life in the conflict. Tensions are rising and, sadly, the situation is becoming more volatile.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. But ethnic Armenians are the majority in the region. The two countries have been at war for decades over Armenian opposition to Azerbaijani rule in the region.Russia has military bases in military ally Armenia. Azerbaijan also has close ties with Russia. On the other hand, Turkey has been supporting Azerbaijan. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
Categories: News,
Outlook,
Politics
