“The March 1 Incident is ‘Mickey Mouse Games’ Compared to What is Happening Now,” Says Robert Kocharyan

Armenia's authorities are not lifting the state of emergency in order to prevent a vote of no confidence against them. This conviction was expressed by the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, during a press conference held today for Russian media.

“The March 1 incident is ‘Mickey Mouse games’ compared to what is happening now. We have been living under a state of emergency for a year already. It has been four months since the war was halted, while the state of emergency still remains in effect. The entire purpose of maintaining the state of emergency is to prevent a vote of no confidence against the authorities,” said Kocharyan.

Regarding the criminal case initiated against him concerning March 1, the second President noted that the authorities do not want to conclude the case but rather attempt to prolong it for 7-8 years. According to him, neither he nor his lawyers understand the connection between the charges of undermining the constitutional order and the state of emergency declared by him in 2008.

“I still do not understand the essence of the charges attributed to me,” said Kocharyan. He noted that there have been mass disturbances, during which a large number of police officers were also injured.