Crowds in Yerevan raised their voices late on September 14, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of planning unacceptable concessions to Azerbaijan and demanding his resignation. The seemingly spontaneous protest was sparked by Pashinian’s comments made in the Armenian parliament earlier in the day amid continuing heavy fighting along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The two countries have negotiated a cease-fire to end the flare-up of fighting that has killed at least 155 soldiers from both sides, according to Armenian officials.
The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities between the two longtime adversaries in nearly two years. Pashinian told pro-government lawmakers that he is ready to “make tough decisions for the sake of peace.”