Armenia is facing mounting public dissent over its recent decision to cede territory to neighboring Azerbaijan, its longstanding rival in the South Caucasus region.
On May 27, thousands protested in the capital Yerevan to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whom they blame for the territorial concessions.
Last month, Mr. Pashinyan agreed to relinquish four border villages in an effort to normalize ties with Azerbaijan and define the shared border after years of hostility.
Despite a popular outcry against the move, Yerevan ceded control of the largely uninhabited villages to Azerbaijan on May 24. Mr. Pashinyan has defended the decision, which he says was aimed at securing a lasting peace with Azerbaijan after decades of conflict and border skirmishes.
Since the agreement was announced, demonstrations have mounted against the concessions—and against Mr. Pashinyan and his government. During protests on May 27, flag-waving demonstrators clashed with police and blocked streets in the capital and other parts of the country.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 270 protesters were detained by authorities for “disobeying the lawful demands of the police.”
The demonstrations, which show little sign of ending soon, are being led by Bagrat Galstanyan, a charismatic archbishop in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Mr. Galstanyan hails from the Tavush region, where the four border villages are located. The archbishop has called on supporters to stage “peaceful acts of disobedience” as a means of protesting against the territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.
Mr. Galstanyan has also announced his intention to start impeachment proceedings against Mr. Pashinyan, with the aim of replacing him as prime minister. The archbishop, who also holds Canadian citizenship, has vowed to employ “all legal means” to secure Mr. Pashinyan’s removal from office.
However, it remains unclear how he might challenge Mr. Pashinyan for the premiership since Armenian law prohibits dual nationals from running for public office.
Mr. Pashinyan’s governing coalition currently holds a comfortable majority in the country’s parliament.
Armenia’s next parliamentary election is slated for 2026.
“We’re not considering [snap elections] right now,” Mr. Galstanyan said in remarks carried by local media.
Perennial Enemies
Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan—both former Soviet republics—have fought two major wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.In 1994, Yerevan-backed Armenian separatists wrested control of the region, which has long been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
In 2020, Azerbaijani forces recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh in a six-week war that left thousands dead on both sides.
That conflict ended with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that allowed Russia to send an estimated 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the region.
Last September, Azerbaijan carried out a 24-hour offensive to disarm Karabakh-based Armenian separatist groups and establish full control over the region.
Since then, Mr. Pashinyan has accused Russia—and its sizable peacekeeping contingent—of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive.
Moscow, for its part, rejects the accusation, saying it cannot prevent Azerbaijan from conducting operations within its own territory.
Mr. Pashinyan has further irked the Kremlin by seeking to deepen his country’s ties with the West and reducing its dependence on Moscow.
Earlier this month, Russia agreed to withdraw its peacekeepers from Armenia—at the latter’s request—amid steadily mounting political friction between the two countries.
Mr. Pashinyan has said that his country must delineate its borders with Azerbaijan to prevent further conflict.
Last month, Yerevan agreed to relinquish the four villages that sit on roughly 2.5 square miles of land, as part of a wider border-demarcation agreement.
In an April 19 social-media post, a spokesman for Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said Armenia had agreed to return the four villages “that were under occupation since the early 1990s.”
The spokesman went on to refer to the promised handover as a “long-awaited historic event.”
Mr. Pashinyan’s office said the move was “painful” but was aimed at reducing risks “associated with border delimitation and security.”
After the villages were handed over on May 24, Mr. Pashinyan sought to allay critics in a televised address.
He said the move aimed at peace in the region by eliminating a longstanding source of conflict between the two rivals.
The prime minister urged his fellow Armenians to embrace “a sovereign and democratic Armenia with [clearly] demarcated borders.”
