Armenia: President says government behind "tragedy" must go

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Armen Sarkissian has weighed in on the situation in Armenia in the aftermath of a devastating war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, maintaining that the government whose activity has led to "such a great tragedy" must resign.

"There is one solution if such a great tragedy has taken place: the government behind it must go. If a politician is strong, they can return later," Sarkissian said at a meeting with the representatives of Russia's Armenian community in Moscow on Sunday, November 29.

"The previous elections were held two and a half years ago, when the country was a completely different place. But Armenia is now changed. There is a civilized way out of the crisis: early elections, preceded by the formation of a government of national accord," Sarkissian said.

The President believes acknowledging the crisis the country has plunged into is key. According to him, a new government, preferably a technocratic one, should be formed and headed by a person respected by all.

"[The new] government should work for six months or a year, until snap elections are held. During this period, a referendum must also be held. It is imperative to either change the Constitution or accommodate it to humans," he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side is returning all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.