Yerevan /Mediamax/. The political situation in Armenia cannot calm down without a resignation by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Dr. Nadja Douglas with the Centre for East European and International Studies in Berlin has said in the interview to Caucasus Watch.

“Prime Minister Pashinyan no longer has a large majority of the population behind him. He has disqualified himself politically and morally by the tragic defeat in the 44-day war against Azerbaijan. The country’s elites, including the president, the parliamentary opposition, all three former heads of state, the heads of the Armenian Church and numerous governors and intellectuals, have spoken out against him and the continuance of his government. He must clear the way for change, whether in the form of a transitional government, as requested by the opposition, or snap elections, as advocated by the ruling My Step coalition, remains to be seen,” she said.

At the same time, says Dr. Douglas, a credible political alternative has not yet appeared in Armenia and the conditions are currently not conducive to protest. “The population is tired from the war, from countless protests and from the restrictions caused by the corona pandemic,” she noted.

According to Dr. Nadja Douglas, “The greatest challenge for Armenia is certainly to restore peace within society and to create a certain national unity in order to jointly cope with the daunting tasks that the country faces.”

“The task now is to organize a united response against reactionary forces because revisionist tendencies are of no help at the moment. However, that does not mean that the Armenians can afford to remain in a state of shock for a prolonged time,” she added.

Touching on the statement signed by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders on 9 November 2020, Dr. Douglas has said that “all political actors, even the opposition hardliners of the “Homeland Salvation Front”, have realized that there is no other choice than to accept the situation.”

“Many still rail against Pashinyan's inadequate negotiating skills and the unfavorable results for Armenia and are calling for the outstanding issues to be renegotiated with the help of Russia. Many fail to realize that such a scenario would not necessarily be in the Russian interest. Russia seems to be quite satisfied with the new status quo,” highlighted the expert.