Levon Ter-Petrosyan's Statement: Publicly Renewing My Proposal to the Second and Third Presidents of Armenia

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan has published the text of the statement he presented during the meeting of former presidents of Armenia and Artsakh on March 25. Below is Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s statement.

“Journalist Emma Gabrielyan today, on May 5, published an article titled 'If the Three Presidents United,' in which she noted the following: 'Was it possible to have a completely different pre-election atmosphere in Armenia today? It was possible, but with the most unlikely and non-standard configuration: if the three former presidents of Armenia had the courage to unite in the upcoming elections. It doesn't matter how many percent this trio would gather; it is clear that the sum of the votes received by the three presidents would be greater than the individual percentages they would receive under even the most brilliant electoral campaigns. The unification of the three former presidents, who have sealed their victories at different phases in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh, would somewhat lighten the heavy atmosphere of the defeated country on the path to getting a battered and depressed Armenia back on its feet, and their step could perhaps be quite impressive and effective.'

This observation prompted me to publicly reveal a fact that has remained a secret to our society until now. As is known, on March 25 of this year, a meeting of the former presidents of Armenia and Artsakh took place. This meeting was initiated by me, along with a proposal to adopt the following statement:

Statement of the Former Presidents of Armenia

Considering the urgent need to restore the mental balance of our people after the war, the imperative to quickly relieve the hyper-tension in the internal political situation, to avoid further escalation of hate speech and clashes, the sickly desire of a government that has completely failed in all areas of state administration during its three-year term to reproduce itself at any cost and its obvious disastrous consequences, as well as the nationwide expectation of a new government formation that meets the current demands in Armenia:

We declare that, regardless of our previous principled disagreements and sharp contradictions, recognizing our responsibility for the fate of the country, without personally aspiring to hold any position in the new system of governance that is to be formed, we will participate in the upcoming elections with a list named 'National Accord Alliance,' composed of political forces, public organizations, and reputable intellectuals that support us.

We are confident that this initiative will receive a positive response from all of the Armenian people and the international community. Following the official announcement of the start of the electoral process and the publication of the coalition's list, we will hold a press conference.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Robert Kocharian
Serzh Sargsyan
Yerevan, March 25, 2021

No discussion took place, as Robert Kocharian immediately rejected the proposal, citing purely moral considerations, specifically that it would mean he had betrayed the 'Movement for the Salvation of Armenia' he created. As for Serzh Sargsyan, he did not express any opinion. Today, I publicly renew my proposal to the second and third presidents of Armenia. I am convinced that with the right public pressure, this is entirely a feasible program, which might be the only way to avert new disasters. It is the duty of the entire Armenian nation to realize that the reproduction of Pashinyan's regime is far more dangerous for Armenia and Artsakh than even the potential or perceived threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey.