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Armenian Opposition Decides To Unblock Central Yerevan Boulevard


Supporters of the Homeland Salvation Movement have been blockading Yerevan’s central Baghramian Avenue since late February
Supporters of the Homeland Salvation Movement have been blockading Yerevan’s central Baghramian Avenue since late February

A loose alliance of over a dozen political parties and groups demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has decided to unblock a central boulevard in Yerevan that it has been blockading since late February.

In a statement disseminated on Tuesday the Homeland Salvation Movement indicated, however, that it will continue its street protests elsewhere in the city and will also expand to the provinces.

The decision by the Homeland Salvation Movement to unblock Baghramian Avenue, where the Parliament building and several government offices are located, comes less than a week after Pashinian announced that early parliamentary elections in Armenia will be held in June.

Pashinian made the announcement after talks with Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the parliamentary opposition Prosperous Armenia party, which is one of the members of the Homeland Salvation Movement.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the opposition movement indicated that it still rejects the idea of snap elections at this stage and will continue to demand Pashinian’s resignation and the formation of an interim government to be led by its leader Vazgen Manukian before preterm elections could be held within at least a year.

“It is already clear to all political and public forces that the development of Armenia is impossible without a solution to the current crisis, moreover, [it is clear that] the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are at stake. At the same time, it is obvious that nonstop struggle creates certain inconveniences for citizens, which is not the goal of the Movement,” the Council of the Homeland Salvation Movement said.

It said that in this view it has been decided “to start a new wave of political actions, expanding their geography and involving the population of the provinces… and to restore unrestricted traffic in [Yerevan’s] Baghramian Avenue, eliminating inconveniences for citizens.”

The Council of the Homeland Salvation Movement added, however, that its supporters will preserve a tent camp in a nearby less busy street adjacent to the Parliament building where a rally has been scheduled for March 28.

“Our goal and agenda remain unchanged,” the Homeland Salvation Movement concluded.

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