Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processesApril 27, 2024 - 12:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Ministry of Defense of Armenia has warned that any attempt to involve the country’s Armed Forces in political processes will be met with an “adequate legal assessment”. The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing people wearing military uniforms joining the protests in the village of Kirants, Tavush province. Police clashed with residents of the border village and detained other people, including an opposition parliamentarian, on Friday, April 26 amid ongoing protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s decision to hand over four border areas to Azerbaijan. Protesters continued to block streets in Yerevan and major highways outside it in a bid to scuttle the territorial concessions portrayed by Pashinian’s government as the start of the demarcation of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. Some of them used heavy vehicles for that purpose. Police forcibly restored traffic through virtually all of those roads. A key national highway running north from Yerevan was blocked for about an hour in the afternoon, RFE/RL’s Armenian service reports. The protesters there were joined by two lawmakers from the main opposition Hayastan alliance. One of them, Artur Khachatrian, was pushed into a police vehicle and driven away after bitterly arguing with a regional police chief at the scene. Hours after the video showing people in military uniforms joining the protests landed online, the Investigative Committee revealed that criminal proceedings have been initiated against said soldiers. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. EU still discussing funding Armenia through European Peace Facility Discussions continue in the EU on providing Armenia with funds from the European Peace Facility, Vassilis Maragos says. Greek-Armenian organizations support "Tavush for Motherland" Greek-Armenian organizations have expressed support for the campaign led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. |