ARMENIA'S SECOND PRESIDENT HAD NO SHADY AGREEMENTS WITH OLIGARCH: INTERVIEW
04.08.2015 13:40 epress.am
Armenia's current problems are not related to the acting Constitution
of the republic, second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert
Kocharyan said in an interview with 2rd.am, stating that his views
on the constitutional reforms have not changed.
"The country can be ruled successfully or unsuccessfully either
from the office of the President, or the office of the Prime
Minister. It would be naive to assume that the parliamentary
model would automatically lead to the creation of a democratic and
competitive political atmosphere. It is much more likely that it
will only strengthen the deep-rooted patronal government in Armenia,"
Kocharyan said.
The interviewer asked the second President about the developments
around the Prosperous Armenia Party(PAP), stating that there are
various rumors circulating in media according to which Kocharyan
watched cold-bloodedly the retribution of the party and did nothing
to save PAP, while other rumors claim he was simply unable to help
PAP then-leader, oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan.
"Neither of those statements is true. I followed closely the political
processes of the last years, but have never participated in them. I
was in good terms and relations with Gagik Tsarukyan, but I have
never had any shady political agreements with him regarding his party
or further cooperation with him. This has been stated many times
by representatives of both PAP and my office. It is not our fault
that not everyone believed in the sincerity of those statements. PAP
had its political team which was actively promoting the interests
of the party. In the recent years Prosperous Armenia has sought to
nominate its own candidates at the parliamentary and presidential
elections. It is also obvious that I could not for understandable
reasons cooperate with the non-ruling trio formed a few months
ago. And besides, the format of the trio wouldn't even exist if PAP
were serving my interests.
The statement I made then (Kocharyan called on the ruling authorities
not to take any administrative actions against Gagik Tsarukyan, to
not go beyond verbal skirmish, to return the confrontation with the
opponents to the political arena - Epress.am) from the standpoint of
the former president of the Republics of Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabakh,
concerned with the created situation and its negative consequences
on the country," Kocharyan said.
The collapse of Prosperous Armenia Party, as stated by Kocharyan,
has made life easy for the ruling authorities, and strengthened the
political monopoly in the country, leaving the rest of the issues
either unchanged, or further deepening them.
http://www.epress.am/en/2015/04/08/264118.html
04.08.2015 13:40 epress.am
Armenia's current problems are not related to the acting Constitution
of the republic, second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert
Kocharyan said in an interview with 2rd.am, stating that his views
on the constitutional reforms have not changed.
"The country can be ruled successfully or unsuccessfully either
from the office of the President, or the office of the Prime
Minister. It would be naive to assume that the parliamentary
model would automatically lead to the creation of a democratic and
competitive political atmosphere. It is much more likely that it
will only strengthen the deep-rooted patronal government in Armenia,"
Kocharyan said.
The interviewer asked the second President about the developments
around the Prosperous Armenia Party(PAP), stating that there are
various rumors circulating in media according to which Kocharyan
watched cold-bloodedly the retribution of the party and did nothing
to save PAP, while other rumors claim he was simply unable to help
PAP then-leader, oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan.
"Neither of those statements is true. I followed closely the political
processes of the last years, but have never participated in them. I
was in good terms and relations with Gagik Tsarukyan, but I have
never had any shady political agreements with him regarding his party
or further cooperation with him. This has been stated many times
by representatives of both PAP and my office. It is not our fault
that not everyone believed in the sincerity of those statements. PAP
had its political team which was actively promoting the interests
of the party. In the recent years Prosperous Armenia has sought to
nominate its own candidates at the parliamentary and presidential
elections. It is also obvious that I could not for understandable
reasons cooperate with the non-ruling trio formed a few months
ago. And besides, the format of the trio wouldn't even exist if PAP
were serving my interests.
The statement I made then (Kocharyan called on the ruling authorities
not to take any administrative actions against Gagik Tsarukyan, to
not go beyond verbal skirmish, to return the confrontation with the
opponents to the political arena - Epress.am) from the standpoint of
the former president of the Republics of Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabakh,
concerned with the created situation and its negative consequences
on the country," Kocharyan said.
The collapse of Prosperous Armenia Party, as stated by Kocharyan,
has made life easy for the ruling authorities, and strengthened the
political monopoly in the country, leaving the rest of the issues
either unchanged, or further deepening them.
http://www.epress.am/en/2015/04/08/264118.html