Armenian President rejects prime minister motion to dismiss army chief

FILE PHOTO: Armenian President Armen Sarkisian. /VCG

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on Saturday refused to approve Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's motion on dismissing the chief of the military's general staff.

"Summing up the viewpoints of lawyers and experts, it can be concluded that the draft decree is explicitly contradicting the constitution," a statement of the president's office said.

"The created situation is unprecedented and requires systemic and comprehensive solutions and cannot be resolved through frequent cadre changes without taking into account the existing state in the country," Sarkissian's office said, stressing that the president has returned the draft decree with objections.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday sacked the country's Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan, accusing him of attempting a military coup.

Earlier on Thursday, Gasparyan, his deputies and dozens of top military commanders had signed a statement, demanding Pashinyan and his cabinet resign, the local Armenpress reported.

In the statement, the army said Pashinyan and the government are "no longer able to make reasonable decisions," adding that the government's "ineffective" administration and "serious mistakes in foreign policy" have led the country to the verge of destruction.

Pashinyan responded via Facebook that he considers the statement as an attempt at a military coup.

According to Armenian law, Gasparyan will officially be considered dismissed only after the president's approval.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency