Kocharian Discusses the Events of March 2008

The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, spoke about the events of March 2008 in an interview with Vladimir Pozner. Responding to a question on why he left in 2008, he stated that the only reason was that his term, as stipulated by the constitution, had expired and emphasized that a new president had already been elected.

“A new president of Armenia had already been elected. My term was coming to an end, and on April 9, 2008, I handed over my powers. This was not about preserving my own power. There were disorders, clashes with the police, and a state of emergency had been declared. Two police officers had died, and around 180 were injured. There were fragmentary injuries. Thus, the only thing I did at that time was to declare a state of emergency, which I was obliged to do based on my official position,” he said.

He also noted that a week earlier, the Constitutional Court of Armenia had annulled the article of law under which he had been charged. “Now the prosecution is trying to find some possibilities to reframe the case. However, I do not believe they will succeed,” he added.