“The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has uncovered a case of illegal purchase of weapons, ammunition and explosives by a group of persons in order to seize power in the Republic of Armenia,” said a statement from the secret service responsible for protecting the prime minister.
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The service also said that its former chief Artur Vanecjan was arrested, as well as former Republican chairman Vahram Bagdasarjan and volunteer soldier Ashot Minasjan. According to her, the group has already discussed who could replace Pašinjan in the prime minister’s position.
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The attackers did not agree with Pašinjan’s domestic or foreign policy and therefore intended to kill him, the statement also said. According to the service, the weapons were transported to Armenia from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where until recently Armenian forces were fighting with the Azerbaijani army.
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On November 9, Pashinjan signed a ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which gave Azerbaijan significant territorial gains in Nagorno-Karabakh after several weeks of conflict. On its basis, Moscow sent a military contingent of about 2,000 troops to Nagorno-Karabakh to oversee the ceasefire.
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Protests erupted in Armenia following the announcement of the agreement. The protesters stormed the seat of parliament and the government office, which they devastated. 17 political parties called on Pašinjan to resign. The prime minister admitted personal responsibility for the war’s failures, but refused to resign. He also said that, given the unfavorable situation on the battlefield, he had no choice in the ceasefire negotiations and that he had followed the recommendations of army officials. According to him, territorial losses are painful, but without an immediate ceasefire they would be much greater.
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Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out on September 27, and several thousand people apparently lost their lives because of them. The dispute over the enclave in southwestern Azerbaijan with a predominantly Armenian population has lasted for decades. Armed conflict broke out in 1988 during the Soviet era. Nagorno-Karabakh, with the support of Armenia, broke away from Azerbaijan in a war that claimed 30,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of refugees. Until now, Karabakh and the surrounding area were under the military control of Armenia. Azerbaijan considers the territory to be occupied.
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