Ayvazian gave no reasons for his resignation confirmed by Anna Naghdalian, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. Naghdalian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the ministry will not comment on the move for now.
Ayvazian appeared to have tendered his resignation immediately after taking part in an emergency meeting of Armenia’s Security Council which discussed mounting tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian called for the deployment of international observers along contested portions of the frontier where Armenian and Azerbaijani troops have been facing off against each other for the last two weeks. It was not immediately clear if Ayvazian agreed with Pashinian’s proposal.
The Yerevan newspaper “Hraparak” claimed on May 21 that Ayvazian has decided to resign because he disagrees with Pashinian’s efforts to end the border standoff which have been denounced by the Armenian opposition.
Pashinian appointed Ayvazian as foreign minister on November 18 as part of a cabinet reshuffle that followed Armenia’s defeat in a war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The 52-year-old career diplomat had previously worked as Armenian ambassador to Mexico and various European countries.