YEREVAN—At least 30 protesters were injured when police fired stun grenades at a “Tavush for the Homeland” demonstration outside of the Armenian National Assembly today.
While Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in a question and answer session with deputies inside the parliament building, movement leader Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and thousands of supporters gathered on Baghramyan Avenue, directly in front of the National Assembly. The movement has set up tents on Baghramyan Avenue since June 9 to demand a vote of no confidence in the current regime.
“The man who failed the state must not be able to freely go to work and cynically ignore the pain caused to our people because of him,” Archbishop Galstanyan said, calling on protesters to prevent PM Pashinyan from exiting the building.
At least 86 protesters have been detained so far in a clash with police. Moments after protesters and police threw bottles at each other, the police fired stun grenades, injuring dozens of protesters as well as several journalists. One person’s hand was blown off after he picked up one of the grenades to throw it back at the police. Ambulances arrived at the scene to provide first aid.
Click to view slideshow.PM Pashinyan defended the police’s actions, stating from the podium of the National Assembly that they are fulfilling “functions assigned to them by the law,” while the protests continued outside of the building. “Tavush for the Homeland” published a video depicting the prime minister quickly leaving parliament following the police deployment of stun grenades.
Late on the night of June 11, participants of the movement also erected border markers in front of the National Assembly gates. These markers, bearing the words “delimitation” and “demarcation,” symbolize their opposition to the border delimitation process and the concession of four villages in Tavush to Azerbaijan.
Archbishop Galstanyan, speaking at a rally on June 9 at Republic Square, criticized developments in the negotiation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Archbishop Galstanyan said that this proposed agreement, rather than fostering peace, represents a series of unilateral concessions to Azerbaijan’s endless demands.
Addressing the crowd, Archbishop Galstanyan voiced the frustrations of the supporters of the movement, stating, “Azerbaijan’s demands are endless, and the representatives of Armenia are ready to satisfy all of them, as long as they can keep their seat, but we cannot tolerate this. We cannot live in constant humiliation and anxiety. We must change this situation, and we can. We have that potential.”
He called for collective mobilization, declaring, “At this moment, we have to make a decision together. We can solve the problem if, starting from tomorrow, for only four days, 96 hours without a break, without going to work, without rest, without a long sleep, we will be on the streets to impose our will.”
Archbishop Galstanyan outlined specific steps, including initiating a parliamentary session on June 11 for the resignation of the government and the formation of a new one by opposition members. Additionally, he urged the Council of the National Assembly to convene an extraordinary session on June 10 to approve this change in government based on popular demand.
These announcements reflect a growing sense of urgency and determination among the opposition movement to address the perceived shortcomings in the negotiation process and safeguard Armenia’s interests in the face of mounting pressure from Azerbaijan.
The president of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan stated on June 10 that the National Assembly Council has decided to dismiss the request made by the “Armenia” and “I Have Honor” opposition parliamentary factions to convene an extraordinary session. Simonyan emphasized that the resignation of the government is not within the scope of their agenda.
Meanwhile, the negotiation process for a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku has entered a critical phase. Beginning in early June, discussions on the treaty have once again become prominent in the news cycle.
Between June 4-7, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a fresh exchange of remarks and recommendations concerning the content of the treaty. However, the exchanges have revealed starkly contrasting interpretations of the negotiation process from the Armenian and Azerbaijani perspectives.
In recent statements at a TURKPA meeting on June 6, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan will not sign a treaty unless Armenia revises its constitution, which he said include “territorial claims” to Azerbaijan. Armenia’s constitution refers to the unification of Armenia and Artsakh.
President Aliyev suggested that such “territorial claims” could serve as a pretext for future conflict. He urged Armenia to abandon any “revanchist” ideas, which he said are prevalent not only among opposition groups but also within the current Armenian government.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan responded that Armenia has no territorial claims against any neighbors, including Azerbaijan. The foreign ministry emphasized that any discussions regarding Armenia’s constitution are internal matters and accused Azerbaijan of undermining the peace process with its interference in domestic affairs.
On June 12, PM Pashinyan said that amending the Armenian constitution cannot be part of the negotiation process. He said that there are “tendencies to intervene in the internal affairs of Armenia” based on “disinformation.”
On June 6, Aliyev also proposed that Armenia support the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, the primary international body tasked with mediating the Artsakh conflict. He said that Armenia’s opposition to this would indicate ongoing territorial ambitions.
In response, Simonyan stated that the Minsk Group would only become unnecessary if a peace treaty is signed. Armenia does not see the dissolution of the group as a precondition for the treaty but rather a subsequent step.
Despite these ongoing tensions, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry announced on June 7 that it is ready to finalize a peace treaty within a month, acknowledging that some disagreements remain. That optimism stands in contrast to the continued confrontational rhetoric from Azerbaijani authorities.
In a recent op-ed, MP Arman Abovyan argued that there is a significant disparity in starting conditions for the negotiations between the parties. Armenia and Azerbaijan hold profoundly divergent expectations regarding the aims of the negotiations.
The Armenian government appears willing to accept the post-2020 war regional framework, including recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan and “coming to terms with” the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in the region. Moreover, Armenia has signaled its readiness to open all regional communications, including those linking Azerbaijan’s main territory with Nakhichevan, and to undertake border demarcation in line with the Alma Ata Declaration. These concessions indicate Armenia’s willingness to meet Azerbaijan’s prerequisites for the peace treaty.
However, while Armenia views the treaty as a final step in confirming the existing regional dynamics, Azerbaijan is using it as an intermediate move towards realizing its strategic goal of fragmenting Armenia. Abovyan argued Azerbaijan’s demands, including revising Armenia’s constitution, establishing a corridor through the Syunik region without Armenian control and settling Turkish populations on Armenian territory, reveal its intentions to fundamentally alter Armenia’s national character and territorial integrity.
Azerbaijan aims to dismantle Armenian statehood, evident in its anti-Armenian propaganda and territorial claims. In light of these realities, the Armenian authorities’ optimism regarding a negotiated settlement with Azerbaijan appears misplaced, Abovyan argued.
The negotiations, once envisioned as a path to peace, have now become a forum for discussing terms that threaten the existence of Armenian statehood. It is imperative for the Armenian government to reassess its approach, lest it inadvertently contribute to the erosion of Armenia’s sovereignty and identity, Abovyan concluded.
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