YEREVAN:  Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has resigned, citing a lack of constitutional authority to address domestic and foreign policy issues.

In a statement posted on the Presidential website on Sunday, he cited "a paradoxical situation in which the President is required to be a guarantor of statehood without any real tool." "As a result of the responsibilities I took on as President of the Republic. I was obligated to do everything possible to avert further escalation of the internal division, to avert potential clashes that could have extremely negative consequences. Additionally, I sought to leverage my reputation and connections developed over the course of my many years of work, as well as my international political and economic potential, in order to establish a strong, stable state "The President stated in a statement.

Sarkissian said in the statement that due to a lack of constitutionally mandated tools, he was unable to influence the political events that precipitated the current national crisis. The statement read, "The President does not have the authority to influence critical domestic decision-making processes that affect the country."

He emphasised that his proposal's objective was "not to switch from one form of government to another, but to establish a state system based on checks and balances." Sarkissian was sworn in as Armenia's fourth Head of State on April 9, 2018 for a seven-year term.

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