Serzh Sargsyan: Voices Growing Louder Blaming Me for Succumbing Power to Populists

The President of the Republican Party of Armenia and the third President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, participated in the European People's Party (EPP) Congress currently taking place in Zagreb, Croatia, where he delivered a speech.

In his address, Sargsyan spoke about the change of power that took place in Armenia in 2018: "The change of power in my country happened exclusively peacefully. My sole aim was to prevent human casualties and to keep the state safe from dangerous upheavals. Those who came to power under the guise of revolution have not made any revolutionary changes or breakthroughs in the country's external and internal agendas in the past 1.5 years. Moreover, dangerous developments threatening democracy are occurring in the country. The principle of separation of powers and checks and balances is not functioning. The independence of the judiciary has obviously been violated. Political persecutions are being carried out. Aggressive actions against activists and opposition media have become a regular occurrence, as has intolerance. The rhetoric of hatred has reached concerning levels. I stepped down last year so that my people could try to build a better state. Today, the voices of those blaming me for succumbing power to populists are growing louder. I am here now to raise these concerns, to defend the faith and expectations held by thousands during the change of power that took place. Yes, we also bear some responsibility for what has happened in Armenia. I assure you that the issues of security and peace have been our primary and vital concerns, and perhaps as a result, some questions have been subordinated,” Sargsyan stated in his speech.