Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigns due to lack of influence | Political Issues

Armen Sarkissian says he believes the country’s laws do not give the president enough power to disrupt events.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has announced his resignation, saying his office had not been able to influence national policy during the crisis.

Sarkissian, president since 2018, was at the center of last year’s political crisis after the war between Armenia and its former enemy Azerbaijani to resolve conflicts. Nagorno-Karabakh region.

He clashed with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last year on several occasions, including the dismissal of a post-war military leader and amid protests that left thousands in the streets of the Caucasus.

“This is not a fantasy and it comes from real ideas,” Sarkissian said in a statement on Sunday.

“The president does not have the necessary tools to influence the important processes of foreign and domestic policy in times of crisis for the people and the country,” he said.

“I hope that eventually the legislative reforms will be implemented and the next president and presidential administration will be able to function effectively,” he said.

After the referendum in December 2015, Armenia became a parliamentary state, and the power of the president was severely curtailed – meaning that the role of prime minister seemed to be too strong.

The President’s remarks did not directly mention events or other issues.

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Armenia agreed to end the war and Azerbaijan last November on their border, after Russia urged them to return to the conflict after a six-week war in 2020 when Moscow renewed its peace agreement to end the conflict.

At the time, Sarkissian complained that he was not involved in the negotiations.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has been under pressure, with protests raging in the streets demanding his resignation over the peace process. Under the 2020 agreement seductive and Russia, Azerbaijan he regained control of the province lost the war in the early 1990’s.

Armenia withdrew from the Soviet Union in 1991 but relied on Russia for financial assistance.

Armenia’s economy has deteriorated since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the money sent by Armenians to their home has helped finance the construction of schools, churches, and other construction projects, in addition to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Many Armenians blame the government for the corruption and mismanagement of the economy.