The Bishop Must Ask and Demand Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan to Exit Politics: Marukyan

It is necessary to deprive the current government of its only tool, which for the past six years has become a thesis for the return of former presidents or their close associates to power. This was stated by Edmond Marukyan, the leader of the "Bright Armenia" party, in a video he posted on his YouTube channel.

According to him, until now, the government has against the movement led by the Bishop one tool, and that is the presentation of former officials. They are accused of being former officials, and it is claimed that things were this way or that way during their time. These statements are used against the movement.

Marukyan emphasized that Bishop Bagrat must provide clear guarantees that his movement will not attempt to bring back former regimes. "He must not only state this but also show it. Only then will the movement gain greater popular support. We are telling the Bishop: deprive the authorities of the only tool they have against you. I am asked how the Bishop can provide such a guarantee. My version is as follows: The Bishop should address the leaders of the past 20 years—Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan—and tell them: 'I ask you, I demand that you step back from political activities in Armenia. You are removing yourselves from political processes, not just you, but also your family members,'" said Marukyan.

He added that Nikol Pashinyan's current government is a direct consequence of 20 years of flawed governance, thus pinpointing them as the cause, and the current government as the consequence. "The revolution of 2018 and today’s government are a result of Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan’s governance. If you are dissatisfied with the current government and want to change it, then first and foremost, you must say that you want to be free of those causes. This is where the whole formula lies. I am someone who has the legitimacy to say this," he declared.