MOSCOW, February 25./TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope for a peaceful settlement to the situation in Armenia in a phone call with his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazyan, emphasizing that Moscow viewed the latest developments as an internal affair of Yerevan.
"Ayvazyan reported on the latest developments in the republic. The Russian side emphasized that we consider the situation to be an internal affair of Armenia, and expect that it will be settled peacefully," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a report circulated after the phone call.
Armenia’s Armed Forces are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government, the General Staff said in a statement on Thursday, stressing that the cabinet is incapable of taking adequate decisions in a critical situation.
"The prime minister and the Armenian government are no longer able to make adequate decisions in this critical and pivotal situation for the Armenian people. In connection with the current situation, the Armenian Armed Forces demand the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Armenia, while warning to refrain from using force against the people, whose children died defending the Motherland and Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]," the statement said.
Pashinyan qualified the demand as a coup attempt, urging his supporters to converge on Yerevan’s Republic Square.