WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday called on all parties in the Armenian political crisis to engage in "good faith" negotiations after the country's veteran ruler Serzh Sarkisian stepped down following mass protests.
Ex-Soviet Armenia has been in the grip of severe turmoil for the past two weeks which began when Sarkisian's ruling Republican Party announced his nomination as prime minister, after his second and last term as president ended.
The move sparked a protest movement led by opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan, which ultimately led to Sarkisian's resignation as premier on Monday.
The US State Department said in a statement: "As a friend of Armenia, we urge all parties to engage in good faith negotiations on the formation of a new government in accordance with the Constitution, and to reach a resolution that reflects the interests of all Armenians."
It added the US supported the ongoing dialogue efforts of new President Armen Sarkisian (no relation to his predecessor), whose position has been reduced to a largely ceremonial role after controversial constitutional amendments turned the country into a parliamentary republic with a strong prime minister.
"We continue to commend the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, and trust that the security forces and those exercising their right to peaceful protest will remain committed to non-violence in the days to come," the statement concluded.
An extraordinary sitting of parliament has been called for May 1 to elect a new prime minister of the poor, Moscow-allied nation of 2.9 million, which has for decades been locked in a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.
Moscow has urged compromise and Russian President Vladimir Putin this week spoke by phone with the interim head of government, stressing the importance of the upcoming election.