YEREVAN (TASS) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, colonel-general Onik Gasparyan who along with 40 high-ranking officers demanded his resignation.

Earlier on Thursday, the General Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces issued a statement saying that due to the current situation the Armed Forces demand the resignation of the prime minister and his government while warning to refrain from using force. The General Staff stated that “the prime minister and the government are incapable of making adequate decisions in a crisis situation.” The statement was signed by the chief of the General Staff, his deputies, heads of departments and corps.

In reaction, the Armenian prime minister stated during a live broadcast on his Facebook page on Thursday:

Today I made a decision to fire the chief of the general staff and his first deputy. The defence minister is already preparing a corresponding decision on appointing a new chief of the general staff and his deputies.

He called the General Staff’s demand for his resignation an attempt of a military coup d’etat and urged his allies to gather on Republic Square. “I consider the General Staff’s statement as a military coup attempt. I invite all our supporters to Republic Square right now. I will address the public on air in the near future”, he wrote.