Andranik Kocharyan on Ruben Hayrapetyan's Statements

Since 2008, Ruben Hayrapetyan and I have found ourselves in completely different spheres, as friends as well.

In an interview with journalists at the National Assembly, Andranik Kocharyan, a member of the "My Step" faction and chairman of the Permanent Committee on Defense and Security Issues, commented on the statements made by former President of the Football Federation of Armenia, Ruben Hayrapetyan: "Since 2008, there have been no continuing relationships with Ruben Hayrapetyan, I have just never denied the topic of former friendship, and regarding any questions related to it, I have explained that former friends do not exist. Now, when Mr. Hayrapetyan presented me as a former friend, I stated that former friends never have a mutual friend."

He added, "The mutual friend must either be my friend or his. He stated that his friend is Serzh Sargsyan and his teammates, while my friends have always been figures involved in completely different processes in the political arena," responding to the observation that he and Hayrapetyan continued their relationship even after 2008.

The MP said that Ruben Hayrapetyan had previously become his friend through other friends: "After 2008, his behavior is a result of my position. Since 1991, I have been a senior official in the power structures, and it turned out that Ruben Hayrapetyan sought to establish certain relationships with the leadership of such structures," he stated.

When asked if Hayrapetyan had befriended him for official purposes, Andranik Kocharyan replied, "His latest behavior speaks to that."

Addressing Ruben Hayrapetyan's statement that Kocharyan has forgotten Vazgen Manukyan and Davit Shahnazaryan, the MP remarked that Hayrapetyan is not the person to speak on such matters: "During Vazgen Manukyan's government, I held the positions of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and later, First Deputy Minister. After that, when Vazgen Manukyan was Minister of Defense, I continued to hold the position of First Deputy Minister of Defense. As for who has forgotten Vazgen Manukyan, they should think about that because Vazgen Manukyan himself has forgotten when Serzh Sargsyan insulted him, and he continued to cooperate with him. As for Davit Shahnazaryan, you remember his issues with the Hague Court and his comments regarding March 1, the revelations by the investigative group about March 1, and later his denial. And Andranik Kocharyan cannot be part of a political system where they deny their political past," stated the Chairman of the Committee on Defense and Security Issues.

Regarding Hayrapetyan's statement about being the head of the Football Federation for 16 years, he mentioned that Andranik Kocharyan cannot become a member of his team by nature.