Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who took office against the backdrop of mass protests in Yerevan, called on the opposition to negotiate. This is stated in a statement on the website of the prime minister.
Serzh Sargsyan said that the authorities respect the right to hold peaceful rallies and marches, but noted that the demonstrations "jeopardize public order."
"Unfortunately, these public gatherings often went beyond what was permitted by law and took unacceptable and anarchic manifestations, as detailed in numerous police statements, which are fraught with unpredictable consequences, jeopardize public order and damage uneasy and fragile consent in society" , - Sargsyan believes.
The Prime Minister called the organizer of the protests of Nikol Pashinyan "to go to a political dialogue and sit down at the negotiating table."
"This should be done immediately," Sargsyan added.
In response, Nikol Pashinyan said that "the time for the dialogue was gone" and proposed to execute its program on the transfer of power to the people.
Supporters of the opposition accuse Sargsyan of not fulfilling his promise not to become prime minister after the end of the second presidential term and seek his resignation.
The protests in Yerevan continue for the ninth day. Groups of protesters block traffic. People on the streets chant "Cheburashka" - the nickname of Sargsyan, or "The End!" - calling on the Prime Minister to resign.
On the eve, speaking at the rally on the Republic Square in Yerevan, Nikol Pashinyan put forward demands to the authorities. In particular, he demanded the resignation of the newly elected Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan and the holding of early parliamentary elections.
On April 17, the day when parliament elected former Prime Minister Sargsyan as prime minister, the leader of the opposition party "The Civil Treaty" and the head of the Elk parliamentary faction, Nikol Pashinyan, announced the beginning of a bloodless "velvet" revolution. He and his supporters hope to achieve a change of power through peaceful protests.
Despite calls from the authorities to start a political dialogue, at the rallies the oppositionists continue to demand the change of power.
In an interview with "Armenia" TV company, Armenian First Deputy Prime Minister Karen Karapetian said the day before: "Even the belligerent countries are negotiating and come to a logical decision." We Armenians, citizens of the Republic of Armenia, must sit at home, rationally negotiate and find logical solutions to exit From this situation, in the event of instability, we all suffer, our country will suffer. "
Over the past few days, the police have repeatedly warned demonstrators that it has the right to use force to disperse "unauthorized assemblies."