Head Of Powerful Armenian Church Calls On PM To Resign

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apolistic Church, has called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign in the wake of a peace deal signed with Azerbaijan following the recent conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

• The Armenian Apolistic Church has a powerful political and cultural presence in Armenia. 97% of citizens belong to the Church and it is seen as an important defender of national identity.
• Given this, the Catholicos' call for Pashinyan's resignation will place even more pressure on the already-embattled PM to resign.
• The call for Pashinyan's resignation is in response to the loss of several ancient religious sites to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• Mass street protests against Pashinyan have become a regular occurrence in the capital Yerevan, with opponents of the PM arguing that the Moscow-brokered peace deal could have been negotiated earlier, at a more beneficial time for Armenia (which has as a result of the extended fighting lost control of several regions to Azerbaijan).
• A group of opposition parties calling for Pashinyan to resign have nominated Vazgen Manukyan to serve as the new prime minister. Manukyan previously served as PM from 1990-91, when Armenia was still part of the Soviet Union.