Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces fought a six-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas last year until the conflict was halted by a Russia-brokered deal in November, locking in territorial gains for Azerbaijan and establishing presence of Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone.
"Two strongholds of the 102nd Russian military base were established in the Syunik region," the Interfax news agency cited Pashinyan as saying in an address to the Armenian parliament.
Given that the President has not signed the draft decree submitted by the Prime Minister on the appointment and has not appealed to the Constitutional Court.
The president, however, refused to sign off on the general's removal on Saturday, declaring it unconstitutional.
The country's Security Council on Monday urged President Armen Sarkissian to approve the sacking, the Interfax news agency reported. RIA reported that Pashinyan also met Sarkissian on Monday.
The political uncertainty is threatening to set off a chaotic power struggle in Armenia, an impoverished ex-Soviet republic on the borders of Turkey and Iran.
One person was injured, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on his Facebook page. There were no reports of large devastation caused by the earthquake registered at 1129 GMT.
“We wish for the Armenian people to rid itself of the burden of leaders who console them with the lies of the past and trap them into poverty,” said Erdogan.