Karen Vrtanesyan Comments on the Recording Revealed by Serzh Sargsyan

Military expert Karen Vrtanesyan has commented on the recording revealed by Serzh Sargsyan, stating: "In general, this 3-minute recording encapsulates an entire textbook of realpolitik: 'How not to do things if you don’t want your country to be devastated.' Many blame Serzh Sargsyan today for not suppressing the opposition. Up to the point of saying: 'Yes, we went out to the streets for Nikol, but it would have been better if 50 people had been with Serzh, so we wouldn’t have been here now.'

Robert Kocharyan is also heavily criticized for not settling accounts with Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his team, which led to Levon inciting a riot in 2008, marking the beginning of Nikol's ascent to power. Now, pay close attention to this part of the recording: 'You currently have such strong popular support... and it is a historic opportunity for you to resolve the issue of Karabakh.' Both Serzh and Kocharyan have always used the opposition factor to dilute and weaken external political pressures. 'Excuse me, dear colleagues, but the people will not understand, they will not accept; look, did you see the 6 kiosks they set up in Mashtots Park, what a mess we have on our heads.'

A similar 'reserve' brake was the non-participation of Artsakh in the negotiation process. If things get too tough, our people will say: 'Guys, the Karabakhis are very stubborn; they won’t agree, let’s take our foot off the gas.' All these are tools, mechanisms, quite effective. Until someone comes along who starts to dismantle all of them, saying, 'I am starting from my own point of view.'"