In the Caucasus region, the President of Armenia, Armen Sarkisian, has announced his resignation unexpectedly. The head of state pointed to lack of political leverage to influence the processes in the country, US broadcaster Radio Free Europe and British-Canadian news agency Reuters report.
The outgoing President, is a former Prime Minister and long-time Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Sarkisian was elected President by the Armenian parliament in March 2018 for a seven-year term. He has criticised that work of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in numerous events, mostly linked to the fallout from a six-week war with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that ended with Armenian forces losing control over large parts of the region and surrounding areas.
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«The president does not have the necessary tools to influence the fundamental processes of domestic and foreign policy in the current difficult period for the country and the nation,» Armen Sarkisian explained on Sunday, January 23, in a statement published his official website.
According to the Armenian the constitution, an extraordinary election of the President has to take place from 25 to 35 days once the office is left vacant, Radio Free Europe and Reuters report.