Who Would Baku Prefer to See as Prime Minister of Armenia? Kocharian's Opinion

All statements made in Azerbaijan should be viewed in the context of the ongoing domestic political processes in Armenia. This was stated by the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's declaration that he is ready to sign a peace agreement after the Armenian elections.

“We must do everything to ensure that our domestic agenda is not dictated by Azerbaijan. I have no doubt what preferences they have in the context of these elections and whom they would like to see as the Prime Minister of Armenia,” he emphasized.

Kocharian believes that Azerbaijan will try to influence the electoral process through various statements and other means. According to him, the equation is simple: Azerbaijan should never dictate the agenda in Armenia, and all political forces must resist such influences.

In Kocharian's opinion, Baku is trying to direct citizens to vote for acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team. He does not believe Pashinyan's statement that the forthcoming document will align 100 percent with Armenia's national interests. According to Kocharian, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has consistently made such claims, yet the republic has found itself in a “sad situation.”

“Not a single step that would serve the interests of the Republic of Armenia has been taken during these three years, at all,” Kocharian stressed. He noted that there has been negligence in the security sector, economic reforms have not been implemented, and no beneficial steps have been taken for the Armenian side regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.