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The dismissal of Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan as chief of the army’s General Staff remains in force despite a court decision that he can remain in office until a final ruling in his case, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s office said in a statement on Thursday.

Gasparyan had filed a lawsuit to the Administrative Court to challenge the legality of his dismissal by Pashinyan. The court on Wednesday ruled to suspend his dismissal, granting a motion to recognize "the absence of a legal basis” for it by force of law, until the court issues a final ruling on the matter.

However, the prime minister’s office stated that the Constitution does not envisage the possibility of reversing a decree that has come into force pursuant to a constitutional norm – Article 139.2 of the Constitution.

“Therefore, Onik Gasparyan remains relieved of his duties as chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, while the process of appointing a new chief of the General Staff continues in accordance with the procedure envisaged by Article 139, Part 2 of the Constitution,” the statement read.