Protesters revive demands for Armenian government to resign

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YEREVAN, Armenia — Thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of Armenia’s prime minister and his government gathered in the center of the country’s capital on Saturday.

The protesters met on Freedom Square and marched off in several directions, shutting down traffic in central Yerevan. They then , then reconvened on Republic Square outside the government headquarters.

Several rows of police blocked off the government building. There were no immediate reports of clashes.

The demonstration revives a wave of protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that arose in November after he signed a ceasefire with Azerbaijan that ceded territory occupied by Armenian forces. The deal ended a six-week war over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakhin territory in which thousands died.

The anti-government protests in Armenia had gone dormant in the depth of winter. Demonstrators voiced objections Saturday not only to the cease-fire agreement, but cited deteriorating economic conditions and corruption in the country.

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