Foreign Ministry calls on Bulgarians to postpone trips to Armenia because of political instability
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on April 23 that Bulgarians should postpone planned trips to Armenia because the political situation there was unstable.
There were rallies and many of the central streets in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan were blocked. Public transport had stopped, Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said, on the afternoon when it was announced that Serzh Sargsyan had stepped down as prime minister.
Sargsyan had been targeted in widely-supported protests that accused the former president, who held that office for two five-year terms, of clinging to power through his appointment as prime minister on April 17.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said that its citizens currently in Armenia should avoid crowded places and should register with Bulgaria’s embassy in Yerevan. The ministry posted on its site contact telephone numbers for Bulgarian citizens who may find themselves in difficulties.
The BBC reported that Sargsyan had faced criticism in Armenia over his close ties to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who has also moved between roles as president and prime minister to maintain his grip on power.
