Armenian police have detained dozens of demonstrators calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation because of what they said were unacceptable concessions made by him during negotiations with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Anti-government demonstrations have taken place since last month. Protesters on May 1 announced the beginning of a "decisive phase of the struggle" and large-scale civil disobedience actions this week.
In recent days, anti-Pashinian protesters have taken to the streets to block major roads in the capital Yerevan and call on the population to commit acts of civil disobedience.
Protests Continue In Armenia Over Nagorno-Karabakh 'Concession' Fears
The situation near the parliament building in Yerevan remained tense after protesters scuffled with police late on May 4.
The parliament building was cordoned off by hundreds of police in riot gear.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Demonstrators Clash With Police As Anti-Government Protests Continue In Armenia
Pashinian has faced heavy criticism after he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed last month to start drafting a bilateral peace treaty to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and set up a joint commission on demarcating their common border during talks in Brussels.
Azerbaijan wants the peace deal to be based on five elements, including a mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. Pashinian has publicly stated that the elements are acceptable to Yerevan in principle, fueling Armenian opposition claims that he is ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia lost control over parts of the breakaway region in a 2020 war that ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire.
Some 2,000 Russian troops have been deployed to monitor the observance of this agreement.
Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been under ethnic Armenian control for nearly three decades, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Pashinian -- who said he had agreed to the 2020 cease-fire to avoid further losses -- said he would not sign any peace deal with Azerbaijan without consulting ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.