Pashinyan says clashes between his and opposition supporters unacceptable
YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. 'My statement about the threat of a military coup was emotional and it is necessary to prevent clashes (among opposition and government's supporters),' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashpinyan told reporters on Thursday, as he marched with supporters along downtown streets to address a pro-government rally later today.
Pashinyan meant his response to a statement issued earlier today by the General Staff of Armed Forces demanding his and his government's resignation.
'The armed forces obey the people and the prime minister. No other option,' Pashinyan said.
“The threat of a coup is largely manageable, it was an emotional reaction, and we should not be strict with our brothers. The top army brass was simply dragged into the process, but even those, whom I decided to dismiss from their posts, are not only our brothers, but brothers and soldiers of our Motherland, so be calm,” Pashinyan said.
Answering a question about the threat of clashes, he noted that there is always a threat, since the situation is tense.
“But we must agree that this will not happen in Armenia. The most important thing is that we are all calm, we have no enemies inside the country. But there are issues that must be discussed, and this is the main reason for our today's rally,” Pashinyan said.
In his words, there should be a fraternal atmosphere in Armenia, which does not mean that there will be no political dialogue. Pashinyan urged citizens to prevent incidents and clashes and promised to clarify all issues during his speech at a rally.
The General Staff's statement came after the sacking of First Deputy Chief Tiran Khachatryan by Pashinyan late on Tuesday.
In an interview with the 1in.am news site earlier this week, Pashinyan responded to former president Serzh Sargsyan's allegation that Russian-manufactured Iskander missiles were not used against advancing Azerbaijani troops in last year's 44-day war due to wrong orders.
“One should ask Sargsyan why the fired Iskander did not explode or why it exploded by, say, 10 percent,” Pashinyan said, suggesting that the sophisticated missile system might be outdated.
Pashinyan's words caused anger and strong criticism among politicians and experts. In particular, the deputy chairman of a parliament committee on defense issues Viktor Zavarzin said that the Iskander is a highly precise weapon, which has repeatedly been proved during military exercises.
'What Pashinyan said about the missile is a “complete lie,” Zavarzin told the Govorit Moskva radio station. -0-
