Gasparyan was dismissed after calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on 25 February 2021 along with more than 40 other high-ranking Armenian military officers.

On 8 June 2020, he was appointed Chief of Armed Forces General Staff by order of President Armen Sarkissian at the request of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Gasparyan comes from Ijevan, the same town as Prime Minister Pashinyan, so it was speculated that this could have hindered his appointment, in case there would be any perception of favoritism.

During the chaos that ensued on the night of November 9–10, after the signing of the ceasefire agreement that ended the war, Gasparyan met with leaders of the opposition and called for calm.

"[15] Gasparyan and the other officers claimed that their demand was triggered by Pashinyan's dismissal of the first deputy chief of the General Staff Tiran Khachatryan a day earlier.

[23][24] The General Staff announced that Gasparyan will stay in his role for eight days after the president makes his appeal to the Constitutional Court.

[22][28] On the same day, the Constitutional Court of Armenia announced that it had received an appeal from President Armen Sargsyan in connection with Gasparyan's dismissal.

"[31] Prime Minister Pashinyan announced that the appointment of Artak Davtyan as Gasparyan's replacement had gone into effect by force of law on 22 March 2021, as President Sargsyan neither signed the order nor sent it to the country's Constitutional Court.

[34] Gasparyan, in an op-ed to an Armenian newspaper, accused the Prime Minister of stoking populist rhetoric in the lead up to the election.