Tens of thousands of Armenians congregated in the heart of Yerevan following Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian’s passionate call for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his administration to step down due to a contentious land agreement with Azerbaijan.
Leading the rally in Yerevan’s central square, Archbishop Galstanian, head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, voiced opposition to the disputed border-demarcation pact with Baku, which relinquishes control of four villages previously part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet era but under Armenian authority since the 1990s.
While the border deal has garnered support from the United States, the European Union, and Pashinian himself, opposition figures have criticized the prime minister for conceding territory without adequate assurances.
Addressing a massive crowd in Republic Square, Galstanian issued an ultimatum, giving Pashinian until 7:40 p.m. local time to announce his resignation.
“In the Republic of Armenia, you hold no authority,” Galstanian declared, echoing Pashinian’s own words to his predecessor, then Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, during successful protests six years prior.