By Nvard Hovhannisyan and Artem Mikryukov
YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on Saturday refused to fire the head of the country’s armed forces, intensifying fighting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the military over what Pashinyan said was an attempted coup. was to remove him.
Pashinyan fired Onik Gasparyan on Thursday, but his dismissal needed the formal approval of the president – who rejected the move as unconstitutional and said the army should be kept out of politics.
Hundreds of supporters of the opposition, who are gathering in the center of the capital, Yerevan, welcomed Sarkissian’s decision with cheers and applause after it was announced by the president’s office.
Pashinyan criticized the president’s move and said in a statement on Facebook that “this decision does not contribute at all to resolving the current situation”.
Gasparyan did not publicly comment on the coup allegations.
The army appealed for the resignation of Pashinyan, who critics say was the disastrous handling of a bloody six-week-long conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year.
Pashinyan had previously dealt with calls to quit, but this was the first time the military had publicly asked for his resignation.
Pashinyan is entitled to send the decision back to the president for a second time, at which point Sarkissian must sign it or send it to the constitutional court, Zoya Barseghyan, presidential spokeswoman, told Reuters.
Pashinyan said he would resubmit the decision.
If Sarkissian does not sign the decision or send it to the Constitutional Court, the decision will take effect by default.
“The armed forces must undoubtedly maintain neutrality in political matters,” the presidential office said in a statement on its website.
“As a result of the war, the military personnel today obviously need the support and attention of us all more than ever.”
(Written by Maxim Rodionov; Edited by Matthias Williams and Helen Popper)