Two days before the Armenian people commemorate the 1915 Genocide, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has issued a statement on the anti-government protests in the country, saying, “On the eve of April 24, it’s not acceptable to divide the society. On that day, we as a nation, in Armenia and the diaspora, in full view of the world, must exhibit ultimate restraint and united, commemorate the memory of our holy martyrs.”

“I call on all our citizens, and our compatriots in the diaspora, to refrain from attempts to intensify the situation and to show restraint,” the statement reads.

The Armenian president describes ongoing developments as taking the country to a dangerous precipice, and that the consequences might be irreparable.