TER-PETROSYAN HAS PROBLEMS WITH MORALITY

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 13, 2008
Armenia

Ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s exclusive interview given to MEDIAMAX
agency.

"In his speech during the congress of the "pan-national movement",
Levon Ter-Petrosyan made certain accusations in your address.

Would you like to respond?"

"I must mention, that I didn’t have any intention to give interviews
these days, but I have to, after the bizarre statements made by Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. By the way I had already forgotten about his existence.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan can’t purify himself by throwing mud on
others. This method of justifying himself is really disgusting. He
has never had the courage to shoulder any responsibility. During the
times of crises he has always thought only about his security – the
bright example is after the detention of "Karabakh" committee, during
Karabakh war, in 1998, etc. The same thing is taking place at present.

I will not touch upon the chronicle of the events; the investigation
must reveal the picture of what happened in Yerevan on March 1-2,
as soon s possible."

"Ter-Petrosyan, the Mass Media, and the political organizations
supporting him represent March 1-2 events in such a way that it turns
out that the organization of the mass disorder and the use of force was
already planned by the authorities. What would you say in this regard?"

"Only a weak-minded and a deeply indecent person can say that the
authorities can plan a use of force beforehand. First of all they
should understand one thing: who is interested in it? Any similar
clash, especially with human victims is a very big blow to the
authorities. It is evident that people will always think that the
authorities didn’t do their best to avoid victims. This is the
reality. The same happens even in the European countries. In such
cases the authorities have to use force to avert worse consequences,
especially for me – for the President whose term of office was coming
to a close.

To be able to understand the truth it is enough just to remember who
was doing his best to discredit the authorities during the pre-election
campaign and especially after the elections, who was calling the
authorities "chieftains", who was making appeals to dismantle the state
system, who announced two weeks before the elections that he has won
the elections, who was convincing the servicemen and the policemen to
break their oath, who was blackmailing the international structures
and the observers, for their positive estimations.

Ter-Petrosyan and Armenian Pan National Movement badly needed this
blood, as a tool to continue their political struggle even after
suffering defeat – and, by the way, other’s blood. Ter-Petrosyan did
his best to organize mass disorder and to instigate the police to
use force.

And, eventually, who is trying to use the tragic events of March 1,
for his own political purposes, immorally speculating the victims. Let
each of us draw his/her own conclusions."

"Ter-Petrosyan especially emphasizes the fact of his being under "
house arrest." How can you explain this?"

"Ter-Petrosyan badly needs the version of the house arrest. Without
that it is impossible to justify his absence in the square near the
Municipality, on March 1. I must state that there has been no house
arrest. Moreover Armenia’s legislation doesn’t envisage similar
legal regime.

Ter-Petrosyan was simply warned that he can go anywhere and anytime
but his guards can’t attend him, because their participation in the
meetings that have turned into a mass disorder is illegal. By the
way a real man with a sense of responsibility must have gone there.

You can’t stage a revolution with the participation of the state guard
service. Did he go there and someone brought him back by force? If
this thing happened he should openly speak about it. He can appeal
to the Prosecutor’s. Ter-Petrosyan’s guards are very loyal to him,
and they were with him at his own request. The head of his guard is
a person who is in close relations with his family. Everyone knows
that their registration in the state guard service is a formality.

The topic of the "house arrest" must be considered both by
the Prosecutor’s and the future Committee. If someone has ex
officio committed a crime, he must be punished. The myth about the
"house arrest" is a justification for a coward who wants to avoid
responsibility. I’m not a President any more and I’m free to use
similar language – to call a spade a spade."

"Ter-Petrosyan says the authorities have "lots of things to
hide". He says this is the reason why they didn’t sue anyone for
using arms against the police. Besides that the ex-President spoke
about holding negotiations with you on March 1 by the mediation of
foreign Ambassadors. What has happened in reality?

"Why are there no cases against those who used arms against the police?

Because lots of important people are hidden. It is really stupid to
call into question the fact of using force against the police in case
of two killed and 41 injured policemen. Whereas I speak about only
those 43 who obtained gun traumas.

Ter-Petrosyan said my speeches during the press conferences were
contradicting – when I said that the police were not armed. The
ex-President should have some knowledge about the difference of the
regime of carrying arms in the police and the police troops. The
collision was with the troops, who were armed with cudgels and
shields and the two victims and many of the injured were from the
police troops. I’m sure Ter-Petrosyan is well aware of this fact but
he doesn’t speak about it to mislead his supporters.

In general judging from all this Ter-Petrosyan is in bad relations
with morality. In my opinion he needs this lie to keep his supporters
and manipulate them."