President Armen Sarkissian (left) met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Oct. 9

YEREVAN—A meeting was held between President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday focusing on Armenia’s domestic political issues, chief among them the planning of snap parliamentary elections, which Pashinyan wants to hold in December.

According to the press offices of both leaders, Sarkissian and Pashinyan agreed that issues must be resolved through political discourse with Pashinyan reporting some optimism about the upcoming elections.

Sarkissian reported that he had held a similar meeting with Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Ara Babloyan, a member of former president Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia, which technically still holds a majority in parliament.

Pashinyan briefed Sarkissian on the inroads being made to hold snap elections in December, specifically singling out his meeting on Monday with chairman of the Prosperous Party of Armenia Gagik Tsarukyan, who signed an agreement pledging his parliamentary faction’s support for a December vote.

Pashinyan also cited a petition signed Tuesday by lawmakers, predominantly representing the Republican Party of Armenia, who have voiced their support for elections to be held in December.

“I think that the process is headed toward de-escalation, which is positive,” said Pashinyan.

“I am also very happy that the process is moving forward in an atmosphere tolerance and through dialogue,” said President Sarkissian. “I am happy to hear that during the last one or two days some results have been achieved through negotiations and dialogue and that a solution is imminent.”

Sarkissian expressed hope that the public and the political forces will continue to be sensible and will be guided by the interests of the country, the Constitution and the laws.