Thousands of protesters in Armenia gathered in the capital city of Yerevan for a second consecutive day to voice their discontent over the government's decision to transfer control of certain border villages to Azerbaijan. The demonstrators are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with a rally taking place peacefully in the city center.
The protests were led by a prominent Armenian Apostolic Church cleric, who has pledged to continue the demonstrations until their demands are met. The unrest stems from Armenia's announcement in April to cede control of border areas to Azerbaijan, following a military campaign last September that saw Azerbaijan's forces compel ethnic Armenian separatists in the Karabakh region to surrender.
As a result of the conflict, approximately 120,000 individuals, predominantly ethnic Armenians, fled the Karabakh region. The area had been under the control of ethnic Armenian fighters supported by Armenian forces since 1994, following a six-year war. However, Azerbaijan reclaimed some territory in 2020 clashes, leading to a ceasefire agreement that brought Russian peacekeepers into the region.
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the figurehead of the protests, has urged participants to engage in peaceful acts of civil disobedience. Prime Minister Pashinyan has emphasized the need for Armenia to swiftly establish its borders with Azerbaijan to prevent further hostilities. However, residents in Armenia's border regions have resisted the demarcation efforts, viewing them as encroachments by Azerbaijan into territories they consider their own.
