Thousands rallied in Armenia's capital Yerevan on Sunday against the government led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with the protest movement fueling the popularity of senior cleric of Armenia's national Apostolic Church, Bagrat Galstanyan.

The archbishop is touted by many opposition figures as the man who would oust and succeed Pashinyan. The current prime minister is facing calls to resign after his government granted Azerbaijan control over four border villages Armenia had seized in the 1990s.

On Sunday, Galstanyan said Pashinyan had "no political or moral legitimacy" to remain in power.

The cleric also said he would soon meet the prime minister.

"We are now heading to the state villa," Galstanyan told the crowd.

It was not clear if any actual meeting was scheduled to take place.

Azerbaijan grows stronger, Russia grows distant

Armenia has fought multiple wars and border skirmishes with Azerbaijan over disputed territories since the late 1980s. In recent years, however, Azerbaijan used oil and gas trade to reinforce its economy and military, while Armenia's main ally, Russia, became less willing to intervene due to its entanglement in Ukraine. Pashinyan has also sought to distance his country from Moscow.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched an offensive which took control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The move triggered a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians. Yerevan and Baku have since moved closer to reaching a definitive peace agreement.

But many in Armenia view the latest deal as giving up territory to Azerbaijan without getting anything in return. This resentment has led to the rise of Galstanyan, a dual Armenian-Canadian national and the archbishop of the Tavush diocese, where the villages are located.

Pashinyan had defended the deal, saying on Friday that resolving border disputes was "sole guarantee for the very existence of the Armenian republic within its internationally recognized and legitimate frontier."

Pashinyan, formerly a journalist, came to power after ousting previous prime minister Serzh Sargsyan in peaceful street protests in 2018.

Galstanyan wants peace treaty before changing borders

On Sunday, Galstanyan seemed to endorse the idea of succeeding Pashinyan as prime minister while addressing the concerns regarding his own dual citizenship. He noted that dual citizens were banned from holding the office, but pledged to "solve that problem with all possible legal means."

"Our people want to change the bitter reality which was imposed on us," Galstanyan told the protesters. He added that adjusting the border with Azerbaijan "must only be carried out after a peace treaty is signed" with Baku.

One of the protesters told the AFP news agency that Pashinyan should resign immediately.

"I had fought in two wars with Azerbaijan and will not let him give away our lands," he said.

dj/sri (AFP, AP, Interfax)