Armenian PM condemns ‘coup attempt’ after military demands he step down

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gestures to a crowd in Yerevan, Armenia (Hayk Baghdasaryan/PHOTOLURE via AP)

Armenia’s prime minister has hit out at what he called an attempted coup after the military’s General Staff demanded he step down after months of protests sparked by the nation’s defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The General Staff issued a statement calling for the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan, signed by senior military officers, triggered by his decision earlier this week to oust the first deputy chief of the General Staff.