clashes erupt in the armenian capital between supporters and opponents of prime minister nicole passion yann after he fires the country's army chief who had called . on the entire government to quit the armenian leader called that statement an attempted military coup in his son publicly invited supporters to the central square and came out to meet the. 3rd to come this hour now it's essential vaccines for political influence critics slam israel sending countries with jobs in exchange for diplomatic support and president biden reopens a facility for migrant children similar to those his fellow democrats dubbed trump's concentration camps.

l.o.l. can you watching us international just gone 2 o'clock here in moscow must start that breaking news because the tit for tat political and military struggle has caused the top level firing in armenia the prime minister sacked the head of the army saying that he was part of an attempted military coup or supporters and opponents of the prime minister clashed in the capital after he called on supporters to come out onto the street. i'm inviting all my supporters to come to republic square and i consider the statement by the general staff as an attempted to military coup. and assured support is that's the situation is manageable and that he is ready to discuss any problems in the country he also insisted too that the army chief fide remains his quote brother but there's also a significant opposition presence against the prime minister has been pictured

driving through the capital with photos of him covered in blood they've been honking their horns to his crowd chanting and passion and. in support of the general staff statement earlier in the day. the prime minister and the government of armenia no longer able to make adequate decisions in this fateful and critical situation for the armenian people given the current situation the armed forces of armenia demand the resignation of the prime minister and the government at the same time we called to refrain from using force against people whose children died defending their homeland and care about. ok let's get more now from our correspondent joins us in studio eagle i know you've reported extensively in been to armenia a lot particularly over the going to cut about conflict which will come on too but we shouldn't just look at this is erupting right now i mean it's been a lot of bad feeling between people on the streets for some time absolutely this

whole process that has been brewing for months and the thing that the going to care about. it doesn't come out of nowhere because it all stems from armenians and will nagorno-karabakh to defeat in last year's war so that was the thing armenia and the armenian government the promise their people that they would come out victorious out of this clash with their by john over the issue of this disputed region of nagorno-karabakh i spent a month there in the hague well as the war was breaking out all around me and basically from the very start and all the way all the way all throughout the war everything that we've heard everything that journalists have heard everything that the population the people that heard from the armenian side that it was going to come out victorious yes we are falling back a little bit but that's a tactical retreat and we will will will regain our positions and will actually get more of the more of the land more of the land and like like don't don't worry we

have it under control so when i was there by john i mean in russia when the world when they signed a peace deal when they signed it when they signed a truce which russia effectively brokered it came for i mean eons for ordinary people as an absolute as an absolute shock they were shell shocked literally because according to that deal they had to concede like 3 like 2 thirds of the going to care about 2 thirds of the territories in that disputed region that they had previously controlled they agreed to give to azerbaijan that when its part that was. the ignition and that because that's when that's when the protests started that's when people started to come out to the streets and when they started to call on world local trashing and to step down because they blame this they blame this on him and essentially punching and he tried to push through to to just

push the blame on something else at a certain point it was almost like he was trying to blame the military to blame the soldiers for not doing enough he obviously he retracted that he later he said that he did meaning that but that's when the bad blood between him and the military started because i've been there and soldiers they did all they could they just they were overpowered militarily they were overpowered they had no response they had no answer to the drone problem because the drones they were just obliterating their positions which were absolutely not ready for you know their defense systems were not ready for that so they were just flying hovering over and just bombing directly from above while all the defenses they were more suited to. are more of an artillery more of an old school war they were suited for that but not for war of the latest generation of you know military military hardware so that's when it started basically people heartbroken absolutely devastated because we go to

karabakh it's not just some piece of mountain as it is for you or for me we don't have that you know feeling it's for them it's a matter of a matter of national pride so that defeat having to concede 2 thirds of the territories which are overwhelmingly populated by the ethnically armenian people that was absolutely devastating and through the cool all these months it seems and while it is obvious now passion now hasn't the prime minister hasn't done enough to well to do so back together the divisions in the armenian society just so back together. to heal those wounds this massive wound on their pride and the well on their on their national integrity and looking at the pictures today it's clear it does have a fair amount of support doesn't it i mean he called for supporters to come on to the streets and they did how much support does he have exactly why is that support

there given what you just said well judging from from judging from what i see right now it very much reminds me as to what was happening there back in october in november when when when when it was still hard money when the wound was still bleeding from the loss and the war basically i did see thousands of people turn out against mikkel passion and against the ruling on him to resign even back then but again every single taxi driver that i would talk to back then he would tell me something along the lines well i don't know i don't know why people are so angry like a lot of people are a lot of people do support the prime minister after rule remember he came into power as the man of the street so to speak he was he came with a bigger crowd he came as part of the revolution himself so really he does he's not he's not only god he's not a powerful is not a powerful you know experienced politician with a long lasting career in power he didn't have time to. to build up an untrue large

of powerful allies in the government before he came into power he was he was someone who the streets just he was you know the protest vote in this position so really the streets and the public support is all that he has to legitimize him as as as the country's leader and after all but the there were elections which which he won so that that that was the only thing really that he had that he had and he has now that's why he's so adamant to bring out that's why the his knee jerk reaction to the statement by the military was to call in his supporters to gather in the. in the city center because this is what legitimizes here and that's why the opposition is following the same rule because they know if a lot of people come out and if it is obvious that there is so many people who want him to go that the that the mood in the me that the mood in armenia has changed because of the people while fewer people now support him after the after the defeat

and that they blame that the pin the blame of the defeat on him that's why they are calling so it is it is a pivotal time for armenia right now and everything that is going to happen in the next in the course of the next hour is even and world days of course but even in the next few hours we will be more clear as to how dangerous this issue this situation really is how significant is it that we haven't seen the military action the streets given that the late that was the spark to these latest demonstrations i think that's very significant very very significant because nicole fashion is saying that it's an attempted military coup but again we haven't seen any military in the streets had it been a coup well we've seen how we've seen how it's done in malaysia i would was down in malaysia just just recently just military rolls into the rolls into the government into the governmental quarters and they just oust the president and they just seize power literally the military have not done so yes the general chief of staff he

signed a letter along with some 40 other top officers generals like they could where they have a whole salad bowl of the ribbons you know wearing on their lapel. so they have called on him to resign but again they called on everybody to refrain from violence so to me it looks like the last word really the last warning literally the last warning to passion and it's time to take sides really because again no military in the streets as of yet but according to some reports citing sources close to passion on this statement came as a complete surprise to him so. the this this top brass the military top brass who are supposed to have passions back they managed to keep it and around long enough even as they were working on the wording of the statement and it came as a complete surprise to passion and so this is certainly an alarming sign and so partially he will be scrambling to get as much support as he can including in the

military ranks despite you know trying to sack its chief or general staff he went on to call him his brother i mean it seems like he is trying to be strong on one side but also. wants to plainly see on the other absolutely he's it's like he's it's like his left hand is doing one thing but he's right like he's taking with his left hand but giving with his right hand and i mean so it's it's quite a while it's very it's very confusing and these these signals are a mixed really because as you rightly pointed out he was in sacks he adamantly he's out of his socks and he's being very hard line and he would like the ruling with an iron fist and then he says oh no we're still brothers we're still we're still great friends probably going to you know drink tea coffee together needed some coffee talk about life kids you know so he. seems he's torn between and he's trying to

find this balance as to he doesn't want to be more hardcore than he needs to be and he's trying to and it is clear that he did not have a plan for this is just he just reacting on the girl like something happens he'll react it's not like he had a he had a contingency plan for that at least it doesn't look like he had one to me and a way out for him is it to call an election result just being too speculative well it could be it could be an ultimate way to prove that he still has support of the public but for one reason or another he's not doing that and he did not do that after the defeat in the going to care about and while it's understandable i mean it's. clear to me it was absolutely clear on the ground that a lot of people were disenchanted a lot of people who hailed for him a lot of people who came out to the streets into the streets and swarmed the streets in his support a few years ago before he became prime minister now they have well they have been disillusioned and they have been disillusioned and he knows that the vote results

will show that the the results will be if there is no way of hiding around so it seems to me because again on the ground it's clear that he's lost support of his former of his former followers not all of them of course he still enjoys a huge support i mean otherwise there wouldn't be so many clashes and there would be clashes at all and there wouldn't be any world there would be any people marching in the streets under his banners but it's clear to me it was clear i talked to the people and a lot of people a lot of the boy a lot of the protesters and a lot of them would tell me you something like yes we did support him but not anymore because he hasn't shown himself as a leader we're worthy of a menial you know just finally you're just looking at what's happened over the last few months despite the being tensions and obviously 2 opposing political sides here hasn't really been a lot of violence there and that would be a good sign in the sense that it seems the country certainly doesn't want that know

exactly it's because ultimately both sides have the same problem they are divided along the lines whether or not they see passion and as their leader and as a leader who's who can who can contain this massive crisis that i mean is in but their price is one they are still they still share this pain of defeat in the war i mean it is united when it comes to that they want the lands they consider their back they want retribution they want some satisfaction for a deal that they see is if you see a 1000000 even though even though a lot of people they do realize that they were. losing fair and square about how that if it wasn't for the deal brokered by russia they would have lost much more in the 1st place and to a lot more people would have died thousands of people go to lou it was brutal a lot of civilian infrastructure destroyed it was just it was only due to that

almost the entirety of the civilian population left you going to cower back to the fled the warfare that was only due to that fact that we did not see too many we do not see thousands of civilian casualties there was only due to that fact it was a brutal war and. again the armenians they were overpowered militarily they weren't ready for there was no now in hindsight there was no other way that there was no other way could have gone so but again both the supporters and the opponents of nickell passion and they are united by one thing the one some satisfaction they want they want some satisfaction over nagorno-karabakh and they want this fixed nobody knows how but it depends on who the pin their hopes on for some are saying that passion and knows how to fix that others are saying no he's lost the war and everything that he's done since then has only made situation worse the situation worse and so this is this is the problem but ultimately i mean you know the armenians they don't want that for for their country ok well thanks hugo is

a darn of a full rundown really of the situation the political situation in our main you at the moment in going through what's been happening over the last few months particularly with the conflict in the going to cutback all the way up to today which has been a bit of a flashpoint simply because we have seen the whole passion and call for his supporters to come out in this on to the streets in support and that's after he. saccades chief of general staff that after his chief of general staff called for passion and his government to step down because he felt all they felt the military felt that he wasn't in a position to give his country the stability. see that it needed a lot going on and of course we are across it now let's just bring you some latest pictures from armenia because opponents of the cole passion yann have been filmed standing on their balconies giving the thumbs down sign despite growing tensions the country's defense ministry has yet to comment on the statement by the general

staff for passion to quit. and these are the pictures of the 1st clashes between supporters and opponents of the prime minister today as we said generally speaking there hasn't been a lot of violence but there have been scuffles draft is though that tensions could escalate. or what we can talk with. author and analysts martin with these very well versed on this part of the world good afternoon martin thanks for coming on what's your what are your initial thoughts for nicole passion and can he survive what's happening at the moment. and he did it became a popular president he removed the previous if you like. which is very closure allied to most groups and then surprisingly he took power and the floor a lot of people supported him. but the key question is who decided to attack in azerbaijan what did the military did the military go to question yon and say right

now is the time we can go we can defeat the as a reason and take even more intelligence on what impression young go to the military and say right i want a victorious war here and now the people are behind me and we should. start a war against iraq was a by john because we can we do it now to whoever is responsible for that it was a catastrophic mistake during that 44 day war miscalculated the military preparedness was about john and the fact that turkey would come in with drones and so on and devastate that nutrients so. it's surprising really survive so long because you would expect it not and that he'd be blamed for that defeat because the prime minister the government must bear the brunt of the criticism of a disaster war which the last. 2 thirds of kind of. i don't really know to the intervention of russia negotiating 3 way deal between has

a value and i mean in turkey stop the war because he has or he's going to take need more territory and so uncertain question yan has survived what. the army and military are no reply to collectors can you imagine him. a military taking over the country appointing the room from in a general was prime and he's known then not like me and mild with the military rule runs the country and they are if you like from a political point you know i'm interns now they give the key to the very interesting fact is they would not have taken this decision the chief gen. would not have come up with a statement without some political backing from the opposition because he was only he was on a loser because you're dying to be dismissed pretty well so the key question is his sock is younger than previous president he's come out and said people should support the military so therefore there's no competition between the old president sarkozy and the new one. party's young. now who will we will survive that and

the old of course must be against the president probably britain prime minister because he is a great loser in the morning he's not marching but also we've seen today that he does have considerable support theosophy his supporters to come out into the streets in $100.00. years they can do that and so on but the key there are the institutions the military the police has the ability of the police are against him he's gone he can survive the people can come out and demonstrate and so on peacefully and so on but that may not save him. the. second john the previous president he will be party going to try him and seeing how this develops and it in fact is a overwhelming support for pushing you know slower questioning and then they hold hold their homes and and wait for a more opportune time to overthrow him because there's no doubt about that the

opposition and sarkozy on the prove mosco don't want to remove. and they see this is a great opportunity and they're using the and the military as a trojan horse now to try and remove him because. if they come out of this. with. finishing colors that be very lucky because. it's like it goes by can they get russian soviet coup the bogus 991 the military she called it a coup and then closely it up with the great uses of the military must. not accountable. because tradition late the military had not played an important role in immediately you were merely there to plans. they have power i lied to the military you. must have the must retain their support of the military and the police and he doesn't it's the old come out and now that one of the police

and other police follow his orders. will it side with the military that's a key question we have to wait to see what's going to happen what do you make of the timing of this because we know there's been tension has enough a month since this piece there was signed ivan is going to cut it back so why now has the military come out and said what it said. i think it's they were encouraged by the opposition they wouldn't do this kind of i find it very hard to believe that they would actually all the generals sit around the table and say ok ok i think we need to remove the prime minister but what happens who replaces him. quietly here you don't remove the primaries and hope for the best you must have somebody to go to put into place otherwise you would run like a the nation breakdown of the very challenging world when you are when you put somebody in his place and i was sort of speculating here but i mean it's important to have somebody that will you not the country isn't it and it's very likely we just divide it further. yes well i should not be seen as

a popular support he claimed great popular support because he surprised everyone because by becoming prime minister and removing. who would like the most go and everyone thought that he was going to win but he didn't know how can he actually mobilize had swelled with mexico. to really say things but at the end of the day you're back to the military and the police need you know. they have the instruments of power they have they have the guns and they were in the end decide if they decide to become neutral and leave it. the politicians question non-base the boy because he will say ok the middle or snake the people are on your side and it depends how clever i can. because he's going to go to the military and say you misguided here. lead you to believe that i can be able to. and that's wrong and you shouldn't be meddling in politics you are there to support the mission

defend the nation of the country and civil government through the country are going to lose your job you look at the mess of me and my hours in prison present in the military taking over from the civilian government we don't want that remember you if you secure a politician you go in and have a deep conversation with them and try to convince them to withdraw their opposition to him saying ok let's come together because if you bring in. a new executive and somebody else comes in to replace him then just divide the country the country is a rigid one. it's in a dark economic strait i mean it is very weak economically the only ally that it has is russia and iran and president is supporting it but they can't really do very much at the end of the day somebody if they come in and broker a deal russia will be behind they would be behind. the curtain

and saying to the 2 sides let's have a let's have a solution to this problem we don't want. to give blood because i think result possibly result in civil war and complete collapse and. i'm looking at what we're seeing does it does it suggest either actually both sides are looking for a political way i say that because passion young is called you know his chief of general staff and he sacked his brother and at the same time i'm not seeing the military action on the streets just yet. just gets there all this way. in conference with the opposition because i go again i go again say they didn't do this of their own but they had they must have had political support from the opposition and the opposition obviously believed that with the support of the military they could have the overthrow question none. now that could go wrong you

go back again to the role he's going to now 9091 when the military miscalculated badly the military man like again of the miscalculated badly and then they ruled the day they got involved in politics who tried to overthrow the president clinton the prime minister but. passion survives this he would then try to find the generals who were against it and so on who probably should back them it's a it's a situation you had in there as well. where. they attempted to remove shove it is a military regime will show it will strike and he put in his own people. i mean it must be aware of that must be aware of what happened with what is going to happen to me and it's a very very dangerous step to take from will to continue to get involved in politics because then you have to support the winning side there's no way you can risk supporting the losing side because the military will end up as usual and a lot of you will be sacked and others who grew up watching you on peace and why he

would bring it in so general and and his own police chief since one. very fragile situation isn't masini thankfully we say thank for you haven't seen widespread violence today we have seen scuffles but i mean what would you expect this to escalate if no obvious solution is presented. no well the only thing when it's going to end would be a few tanks in the street and if you shoot a civilian the military were on wise enough to send tanks and armored vehicles. streets and. no one would know the contrary but i don't think. that's why you do. because you really were going to them. and then you. develop with. a divided

group. they can do go out. alone. groups leave you alone to go all the lonely we love you know. wrote. martin let you get that but that was that mark macaulay was speaking there he's an analyst restaurant list but also eastern european very well versed what's been happening. over the last few months in armenia and i'm sure we'll get back to martin shortly if we can but he just had to take a phone call while we were talking to him but in meantime let's go live to cut and i've yet to see and he's our armenia correspondent for our sister channel sputnik and i think we can go live to now we can't i'm afraid because the lines gone down there as well well let's just try and go through. recap then of what's been happening today just briefly before we move on to other news of the day the fact that we've seen protests out from the streets to get around the capital armenia

that was after passion yann the prime minister there decided to sack his chief of general staff that after the chief of general staff said that the government should step down because it wasn't able to ensure stability in armenia the whole background to this conflict and going to cut it back which many people felt that armenia and its government sold out as a bridge on signing the peace deal which did see a lot of territory hand over twice the controller of that territory handed over to azerbaijan so that's a summary of what's been happening and we'll get back to our correspond. on the ground 1st to you in the next few minutes i'm sure ok well let's move on then to see what else has been happening around the world and i think we can go now to see where a story on vaccines if we can that. we have learned that exercising soft power through facts and diplomacy can be problematic with jobs currently worth their while using gold amid chronic shortage is israel's negotiating political favors from countries in exchange for giving shots with more his poor. israelis to

share with stock effect scenes with other countries including with palestinian doctors a generous mean few might think about but. we are talking about symbolic numbers of vaccines that were given to various countries i took the decision in return for many things that we already received through many contacts in various areas that i will not detail here. but ports came trade off sought being made with countries which recent people stood relations. soft at its finest the often appears quite clear we will give you x. .