Kocharian to Join Opposition Against New Authorities in Armenia: Interview with Reuters

The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, stated in an interview with Reuters that strong opposition forces are emerging to challenge the new authorities in Armenia, expressing hope that he will be among them.

Reuters notes that Kocharian was the country's president from 1998 to 2008 and was arrested last July on charges of illegally imposing a state of emergency in 2008.

According to Aysor.am, his arrest occurred after the changes brought about by peaceful protests in the country last year, when Serzh Sargsyan resigned and opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was elected as the Prime Minister.

Critics accused Kocharian and his former allies of corruption and abuses during their time in power, as well as of having a heavy dependence on Russia.

In response to Reuters' questions from prison, Kocharian stated that the charges are politically motivated and accused Pashinyan's government of implementing selective justice.

Kocharian also mentioned that new political figures and opposition forces are emerging in Armenia.

"This process will certainly lead to the emergence of a strong political force that will challenge the new authorities very soon," Kocharian responded to Reuters' written inquiry.

When asked if he would be part of this newly emerging opposition force, the former president replied, "Yes, of course," but did not elaborate on how his involvement would manifest.

Speaking about the events of last year, Kocharian said that it was a result of accumulated dissatisfaction and a desire for change among the people, but not a revolution.

"I wouldn’t call it a revolution, as fundamentally nothing has changed in the country, except that aggression has increased among the public, while populism and amateurism have taken root in the government," Kocharian stated.

The former president also defended the decisions he made during the 2008 protests.

"Order was established only after the state of emergency was imposed, and only because of that. Failing to do so would have meant official inactivity on the part of the president," he wrote.