‘Stop Turk Nikol’ posters pop up across Armenia as opposition calls for rallies

Fliers calling on Armenians to take to the streets to demand the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have popped up in several cities across the country, as outrage continues to mount following Yerevan’s defeat in the Karabakh conflict against neighboring Azerbaijan.

The posters, which have been plastered on walls across public places, urged citizens to take part in a rally to renew pressure on PM Pashinyan to step down, branding the official as “Turk Nikol,” after he agreed to what has been perceived as “humiliating terms” following Armenia’s historic defeat.

They show a photo of the prime minister wearing a fez, a traditional Ottoman headdress, accompanied by the English slogan and hashtag “Stop Turk Nikol,” along with a photo of the Azerbaijani flag flying over the liberated Karabakh city of Shusha.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages, while at least 2,802 of its soldiers were martyred. There are differing claims about the number of casualties on the Armenian side, which, sources and officials say, could be up to 5,000.

The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

A joint Turkish-Russian center is being established to monitor the truce, and Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in the region.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have withdrawn in line with the agreement. Violations, however, have been reported in the past few weeks, with some Armenian soldiers said to have been hiding in the mountainous enclave.