Epress.am News from Armenia
Chief editor of local daily Aravot Aram Abrahamyan in his editorial today touched upon former president of Armenia Robert Kocharian’s interview with Mediamax news agency. Abrahamyan writes that he will comment on some of the points raised by Kocharian (in italics below) and focus on the issue of why the ex-president gave an interview in the first place.
“Those who profited from March 1 are those who manipulate these events. It’s vulnerable logic. In this case, every crime benefits not the criminal but his victim, because it’s the victim or his legal successors who demand the crime is uncovered and the perpetrator, punished. In this case, the victim is the entire public.
“The investigation into March 1 is carried out not on the legal grounds for introducing the state of emergency. What does he know? Is the SIS [Special Investigative Service] keeping him informed, or what is it engaged in?
“If instead of sitting at home the opposition leader attempted to deter the crowd, it would have been possible to avoid victims. In this statement, on the contrary, in my opinion, there’s logic.
“The ‘lost candidate’ stated that he intended to occupy the Presidential palace. This is simply a lie.
“But all these issues, in my opinion, are secondary and for the interview, a so-called ‘opportunity for information.’ Robert Kocharian is not a child and knows very well that no one’s preparing to catch him. Even if [prominent opposition leader] Levon Ter-Petrossian achieves power, no one will send the second president to the Hague. The main thing Mr. Kocharian has to say is political and accordingly pre-election. Thus, the dialogue between the [Sargsyan] administration and the opposition can be a “deal being carried out behind voters’ backs.” It is exactly that which already for a month has been raised by [Heritage Party vice-chair] Ruben Hakobyan, [“7 or” news site editor] Andranik Tevanyan, Dashnaktsutyun [the Armenian Revolutionary Federation] and others. As a consequence of dialogue, the second president’s references to corruption and stagnation are particularly touching. Saying this is a man who during his term as president, to put it mildly, didn’t become poor, and television became, from top to bottom, “responsible.”
“‘I’m not participating in the process, thank god,’ says Robert Kocharian about the dialogue. That is to say, if it would’ve been a good thing, he would’ve participated. In reality, Mr. Kocharian cannot take part in such processes. With his temperament and mentality, as well as his allies, favor ‘solving issues acutely’ [sharply, harshly]. But this approach has become antiquated — the world moves in a different direction. Regardless of how the situation in Armenia today is going to be resolved specifically and how Armenia’s second president’s obvious political claims will be satisfied, this mode of thinking cannot have a future.”