Searches suspended in Artsakh, rallies continue in Yerevan until PM resigns, 22.02.21 digest (VIDEO)

Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 22.02.2021:

The search operations in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have stopped indefinitely.

No search operations have been carried out since February 15.

The Azerbaijani side has prohibited searches today as well - and without providing any reasons.

This is the first time since the ceasefire last November that the search has stopped for so long.

The bodies of a total of 1,485 fallen soldiers and civilians have been found so far.

Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan told RIA Novosti that he does not see the need to deploy a second Russian military base in Armenia.

According to him, the current normative legal basis existing between the countries also determines the status of only one Russian base in Armenia - currently deployed in Gyumri.

He also noted that Yerevan and Moscow are working on the possibility of redeploying a certain formation of the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri to eastern Armenia, taking into account changes in Armenia-Azerbaijani borders near Syunik province following the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

The march of the Homeland Salvation Movement was held Monday in Yerevan. The opposition representatives keep demanding the resignation of Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.

The march was scheduled to conclude at French Square with a protest action of civil disobedience.

Earlier on Saturday, a major opposition rally was held in Armenia.

All opposition structures noted that from now there will be a new wave of civil disobedience actions.

People have gathered at Freedom Square in the center of the Armenian capital. Police vehicles were stationed in the city center. Buses with law enforcement officers and special equipment were standing outside the Armenian parliament building.

According to the opposition candidate for PM Vazgen Manukyan, after 2018, Armenia has had nothing but failures. He noted that the economic situation in the country is "deplorable", but in order to change this, it is necessary to "expel" the government.

For several days now, the Armenian National Security Service has been trying to find the Facebook fake user Gagik Soghomonyan, notorious for criticizing the current government.

Four people have already been detained within this case. While using the IP addresses provided by the same VPN app used by the fake user is the only proof for their links in this case. Meanwhile, after each arrest 'Gagik Soghomonyan' was sharing a post on his page, hinting that the authorities have made a mistake in their searches.

Later, two of the four opposition representatives Ara Saghetelyan and Aram Sargsyan were arrested, while Mher Avagyan and Karen Bekaryan were released.

The representatives of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have discussed the details of their school to be built in Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, during their visit to Baku.

The political wing of the Turkish ultranationalist Gray Wolves organization presented the sketch of this school and stated that it has already been approved by everyone.