The Armenian government said the dismissal of a top military official at the center of a political crisis was fired by Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan on Wednesday, about two weeks after he accused the military of trying to overthrow.
Army general staff and senior military personalities on February 25 demanded Mr. Pashinen to relinquish power in the former Soviet republic for less than 3 million dollars.
The move prompted Mr. Pashinanan, who came to power on the strength of peaceful protests in 2018, to sack Army Chief General Onik Gasparian. But the sacking required the president’s approval, which he twice refused to grant.
Mr Pashinyan’s government said in a statement on Wednesday, however, that this dismissal was now legally effective because the president had not signed the decree within the given timeframe or had gone to court under specific articles of law.
“Gasparian is legally dismissed from his post since March 10,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, President Armen Sarkissian appealed to the constitutional court to review the validity of Mr. Gasparyan’s dismissal, the president’s office said in a statement.
Mr Pashinyan has faced calls to resign since last November when he agreed to a Russian-brocade ceasefire that halted six weeks of fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces over the Nagorno-Karbakh region .
The deal led to significant gains in Azerbaijan and surrounding areas of Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but up to the population and until recently fully controlled by ethnic Armenians is.
Mr Pashinyan, who has declined calls for resignation, said he was forced to agree to a peace deal to prevent more humanitarian and territorial losses.
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