Armenians await change of government after peaceful revolt

YEREVAN, ARMENIA » As they do each year, thousands of Armenians walked through the capital on Tuesday to commemorate the massacre of their people over a century ago, though this time was different: The crowds were triumphantly led by an opposition leader who a day earlier had managed to push Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan out of office.

Clutching flowers and wrapped in the tricolor Armenian flag, people of all ages took to the streets to remember the 1915 killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks, in what many historians consider the first genocide of the 20th century.

They walked solemnly, but frequently erupted into applause and cries of joy over their victory, which came after nearly two weeks of peaceful protests led by former journalist turned fiery opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan.

Today, Pashinyan will meet with acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan to discuss a government transition, involving a fresh vote for a new leadership and snap parliamentary elections. His “revolution,” Pashinyan told crowds Tuesday, “cannot be left unfinished.”

The nearly two weeks of protests focused on what demonstrators called Sargsyan’s authoritarian grip on power, and the widespread corruption that benefited him and others in a ruling elite who have been backed by Russia for decades.

Tiny, landlocked Armenia relies heavily on former imperial master Russia for economic relief and ostensibly keeping a simmering conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan at bay.

Russia offered tepid comments on the events in Armenia — rare for the Kremlin when one of its neighboring countries engages in pro-democracy activities.

“The situation is not heading toward destabilization. We are satisfied with that,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday, adding that the Armenian tumult should not be compared with Ukraine’s pro-Western uprisings. “This should in no way be looked at as an anti-Russian upheaval,” lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov said Monday on Russian state television.

Pashinyan has signaled that he wants Armenia to have friendly relations with both Europe, the United States and Russia.

“This is a wise move on his part,” said Hayk Martirosyan, a political analyst and member of the opposition. “Why would he want to antagonize Russians in this transition period? We don’t need to create enemies.”

But as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to escalate over reasons ranging from election meddling to Syria, carefully balancing ties could pose a challenge for Armenia’s new leadership.