YEREVAN (A.W.)—A shootout outside the occupied police station in Yerevan’s Erebuni district on the early morning of July 26 resulted in the wounding of two of the armed gunmen of the “Sasna Tsrer” opposition group, who have seized the station since July 17. Following the shootout, both men surrendered to law enforcement authorities and were hospitalized.
A statement released by the Yerevan police said that in the evening of July 25, between 10 p.m. and midnight, the members of the armed group burned a police bus, which was parked outside the station, then drove two cars into the street and set those on fire as well. The statement also said that shots were periodically fired from inside the compound.
According to the police, security forces began opening fire when a police vehicle driven by one of the gunmen emerged from the occupied station and approached a group of officers.
“The vehicle almost reached the cordon, after which law enforcers fired on its engine and tires in order to stop the car and stave off a serious danger emanating from three armed men seated inside it,” read a part of the statement, which added that two of the gunmen were wounded in the leg as a result of the incident.
The opposition Founding Parliament group, which is closely affiliated with the armed “Sasna Tsrer” group, confirmed that a shootout had taken place, but shared few details.
Hours before the shootout,on the evening of July 25, thousands of demonstrators marched in Yerevan in support of the armed opposition group. Protesters marched from near the police station to the city center and back, chanting slogans calling for the resignation of President Serge Sarkisian and in support of the armed opposition group.
So did Sarkisian resign? Who will take over his job?
The cops are corrupt and so are the president and parliament.
And their rich, spoiled kids.
I would like to know what the reason for the occupation of the police station is, who are the assailants and what do they and the protesters want.
Somebody reading this please respond with the answers as I am in Montreal, Canada and am very disturbed by these deplorable incidents, thank you.
What amateur police! How are these guys coming out to set vehicles on fire? How are they not pinned down in one building or even one room of the building? Russians, Americans, even the French would have had this settled long ago!
Do the police simply look the other way after taking a 5000 dram ‘fine’ like they do when they pull your car over?
This Western led and financed coup, like the one in Turkey, was a road to no where. Despite the real and perceived corruption of the current “regime”, Armenians will refuse to repeat the mistake of Ukrainians, Libyans and Syrians and so many other peoples led to their destruction by Western powers. Moreover, the Artsakh conflict has to end. The Russian brokered negotiations process must continue. Mutual concessions have to be made. Russia will guarantee regional peace.
It is feared that the end of the conflict is seen in returning the hard-won liberated territories around Artsakh so that Azerbaijan becomes an EAEC member state. How serious is the expectation that if liberated territories are returned, Azerbaijan will cease its claims for Artsakh proper? And if by guaranteeing regional peace, stationing of peacekeepers is meant, well, the fact is that no peacekeepers in the history of humanitarian interventions were ever able to guarantee peace. It is also feared that even if the liberated territories are returned, the de jure independence of Artsakh will not be recognized in return. There are more questions than answers…
Disagree with this, Harutik. If Armenia and Artsakh “need to make concessions” it means we do not have a nation at all. The people of Armenia and especially Artsakh will need to decide their future, and that ‘should’ mean no concessions to a criminal, terrorist state next door. Artsakh didn’t start the aggression, Azerbaijan did, and it has not answered to its crimes until today just like Turkey, and it is Azerbaijan that needs to make the concessions.
My opinion, I can honestly say “regional peace” with poisonous snakes all around would be completely meaningless to me and thus I see Armenia’s situation from that light. The only option I see for Armenians in their homeland is, to REMOVE the threat from the east at the opportune time, at least militarily, if they want any kind of future with the idea of being masters of their own destiny through self-determination. And if “regional peace” is even supposedly established, I still wouldn’t be convinced. So-called Azerbaijan has its mission to destroy Armenia, and it has been that way since its creation.
Regarding the “western financed coup”, since you have been saying this on several occasions, do you have any evidence that Sefilyan’s group is in fact working for western interests? We know many of the the so-called NGOs are Soros-funded and indeed up to no good in Armenia, as well as the likes of “Radio Free Europe” and such, but what is the evidence this group is part of that program? RFE/RL did quickly jump on reporting on them, but it does not mean they are connected.
Agree with John and Hagop (mostly).
Any loss of liberated territory will be suicidal.
Russia may want to guarantee regional piece, but Russia cannot control what either Azerbaijan or Turkey does.
Any “agreement” or “recognition” in exchange for land is worthless.
Turks (both Caspian and Osmanli) have never honored any agreement.
Azerbaijan begged for a ceasefire in 1994, and NKR and RoA, under pressure from Moscow, stopped their advance: they could have forced an unconditional surrender, because Azerbaijan had no military left to fight.
Yet Azerbaijan has been violating the ceasefire agreement ever since.
The _only_ guarantee is defensible strategic land depth.
Without the liberated territories, Artsakh is indefensible.
The Lachin corridor can be very easily cut off by Azerbaijan, and then we are back to the situation before Lachin was liberated.
It is understandable that Russia wants to keep Azerbaijan in its orbit. But forcing Armenia and Artsakh to give up land to appease Turks will be the end of Russia’s presence in Caucasus. With Artsakh back to its NKAO footprint, it will be overrun by Turks in due course. Without Artsakh, Armenia will slowly wither and die. Armenia is the only reliable friend Russia’s got in the region. Azerbaijan and Turkey will stab Russia in the back the first chance they get. Without Armenia, Turkic peoples and other Moslems will eventually take the Volga region (…which they consider “Turkic lands”).
Those of our compatriots who honestly believe there will be peace in Caucasus if Armenians agree to “mutual concessions”, might want to listen to the opinion of Vova Vardanov (…a veteran of NKR war and intelligence officer (retired)).
Also to as to “mutual concessions”: what is it exactly Turkbaijan is going to concede? A piece of paper?
[ՄԱՍ 2 Քռի աջ ափն էլ մերն է, փոխզիջելու բան չունենք. «Հետախույզի օրագիրը»]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMitvF5602w
After the four-day April War, I’ve grown more supportive of the idea of recognizing Artsakh not as an independent state, but as part of the RoA.
The rebels complain that the government is corrupt. Llittle they know about their own leaders who are on Western grants and payrolls travelling abroad very often and all their bills getting paid by misterious “friends” when you ask them.
Among Armenia’s strengths are mentioned ease of starting a business, innovation efficiency ratio, females employed with advanced degrees. He didn’t regain consciousness since his injury on July 17. Mkrtchyan had been transferred to Astghik Medical Centre for haemodialysis.