Video: Robert Kocharian on Current Events in the Country and Azerbaijan's Goals

Theoretically, yes, they can, for example, declare a state of emergency and postpone elections, but they cannot cancel them, because there is no mechanism provided in our Constitution to turn all this back. This was stated by the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, during a meeting with representatives of the healthcare sector on May 18, answering the question of whether the authorities could postpone or even cancel the extraordinary parliamentary elections due to the situation in Syunik.

He emphasized that elections cannot take place during a state of emergency, but certain steps should be taken during that time to ensure border security. “What I see is that no one is ready to take any steps to protect the borders of their own country. The only reason for what is happening in Syunik and Gegharkunik is that if you have a border, you need to protect it with your armed forces, border guard forces. This is about the density of your forces deployed at the border and, in general, where your positions are. If you move the position 5 kilometers back from the border, deep into your territory, the enemy will definitely come to stand before you. Who are you complaining to?” Kocharian said.

According to him, in the months following the war, there should have been an opportunity to recruit a sufficient number of contract servicemen for our armed forces and to position them adequately along our border. “To advance by 3-4 kilometers, they need to start shooting, a war needs to start. Today, it is clear that this is not the case. It appears that they simply entered freely, established positions and are now demanding something from us. In my view, they will certainly demand demarcation at an accelerated pace. They need demarcation to create internationally recognized borders and to consider the issue of Artsakh closed.

Regarding the Artsakh Route—Karabakh Route, I don’t know what conditions they will impose, but one thing is obvious: simply put, they have found a ‘harif’ and are pressuring us, doing what they want, saying, ‘You need to solve this issue, this, this.’ Solve this one issue, and they will raise another question as long as these people are signing papers. It is always like this—when a person is down on their knees, they get hit again with a stick, they become bolder, freer, and confident that there will be no resistance. The more you retreat, the more they will advance. That’s why you need to position yourself at the mouth of your border. If they have positioned themselves, you should position yours 100 meters away. There is no other way to maintain a country,” the second president stated.