Ter-Petrossian Must Accept What Happened During his Term, Says German Ambassador to Armenia

First president of the Republic of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossian has to personally accept what happened during his term from 1994–1998, when there were prisoners in the country, said German Ambassador to Armenia Hans-Jochen Schmidt during the “Assessing Independence in Armenia and the Region” public forum organized by the Civilitas Foundation on Tuesday.

He, nevertheless, believed that the criticisms stated during Ter-Petrossian’s speeches are justified, since “the existence of an oligopoly is harmful for the state.”

“But he has to remember that the basis for such phenomena was established during his administration,” added the ambassador.

Speaking about the opposition, Schmidt also turned his attention to the issue of holding rallies in Yerevan’s Liberty Square (next to the Opera building).

“In my opinion, allowing rallies in Liberty Square was a very important step, though I think that from a political standpoint asking to hold rallies only in Liberty Square is naive. If people want to assemble, they can do that anywhere and in any square,” he said.