Armenian PM Pashinyan to resign in April 'for early elections'

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that he will resign next month while staying in office until snap parliamentary elections due on June 20, as part of an effort to curb the political crisis gripping the Caucasus country.

"I will resign in April. I will resign not to resign, but in order for early elections to take place," Pashinyan said on Sunday during a visit to northwest Armenia, according to a video published on his Facebook page.

"I will continue to serve as interim prime minister," he added.

The prime minister earlier this month announced snap parliamentary polls that he said were "the best way out of the current internal political situation".

READ MORE: Armenia PM Pashinyan announces dismissal of army chief

Karabakh conflict 

Political unrest erupted in ex-Soviet Armenia after Pashinyan in November signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan that ended six weeks of fighting for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Pashinyan has been under pressure to step down after agreeing to the ceasefire with Azerbaijan, which many in Armenia saw as a national humiliation.

Under the deal, Yerevan vacated swathes of territory to Azerbaijan and allowed Russian peacekeepers to deploy to regions it had controlled for three decades.

READ MORE: Turkey, Russia to start monitoring Karabakh truce as of Saturday

Both anti-government protesters and Pashinyan's supporters have regularly taken to the streets in the months since.

Pashinyan said that if voters support him and his team, they will "continue to serve you better than before".

"If not, we will transfer power to whoever you select," he added.