KOCHARYAN’S MOMENT?: ARMENIA’S POLITICAL SITUATION MIGHT BE FAVORABLE FOR EX-PRESIDENT’S RETURN TO BIG POLITICS

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Monday, 22 March 2010 14:16

ArmeniaNow — Speculations over Armenia’s former president Robert
Kocharyan’s return to big politics have recently been quite persistent,
however, there are other opinions that such reshuffling in the
country’s leadership would expose Armenia to new challenges.

The new wave of talks over Kocharyan’s possible return rose
especially after his January visit to Iran. This visit became
a subject of discussions among different politicians who started
making prognosis over the complicacy of Armenia’s current domestic
and foreign political situation President Serzh Sargsyan has found
himself in and the possibilities of him turning to his comrade-in-arms
Robert Kocharyan for help.

Kocharyan’s visit to Iran was followed by his March 12 visit to Paris,
were he met with former president of France Jacques Chirac the same
day when President Sargsyan met the French President Nikolas Sarkozi.

The visit was immediately followed by speculations on
Sargsyan-Kocharyan secret tandem, which, so far, has not been explicit;
however the time might have come for Kocharyan to reappear.

Kocharyan’s possible return is welcomed by Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun political party. ARF Member,
parliamentarian Vahan Hovhannisyan says that political activities
of the majority of former presidents are logically consistent, so
Kocharyan is quite likely to get actively involved in politics again.

Rumors that Kocharyan might be appointed prime minister restarted when
Prosperous Armenia political party leader Gagik Tsarukyan (known as
one of Kocharyan’s intimates) openly spoke against the authorities’
economic policy stating that the economy minister is out of place
and that the state economic policy is inadequate to the global crisis.

Speculations on possible shifts in the top leadership feed on the
current state of affairs: the economic crisis has caused discontent
with the government-led policy and bears a threat of public revolt.

The domestic political crisis has not been overcome yet: the Armenian
authorities’ actions in terms of democratic reforms are still actively
discussed by European structures. In the international arena there
is much talk about the fact that the Armenian-Turkish relations have
reached a deadlock because of the unsettled Karabakh issue, at the
same time, the proposed option of settling the Karabakh conflict isn’t
in Armenia’s interests (Armenia has refused the Madrid principles
of settlement).

Earlier, speculations were around Kocharyan’s possible return to the
office as president. Larisa Alaverdyan, secretary of Heritage party’s
parliamentary faction, says in this connection: "I do not think that
that particular desire of Robert Kocharyan’s is connected to the
issue of Nagorno Karabakh’s return into the negotiation process. The
thing is that it was the ex-president’s "achievement" that Karabakh
was left out of that process".

According to her, before whishing something "he must re-assess his
past activities during his tenure, and it concerns not only the March
1-2 events but, first of all, the strengthening of oligarchic system
in the country due to his actions".

"If he admits his mistakes and is held accountable for each one, then,
maybe, his return would receive normal response. But if he is just
brought into big politics, it’ll be fraught with serious problems
not only for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, but also for himself,"
added Alaverdyan.

Former prime minister of Armenia, member of radical position Armenian
National Congress, Hrant Bagratyan shares the opinion that the current
situation in the country is leading to Kocharyan’s appointment as
prime-minister.

"And Kocharyan’s return would mean the end of Armenia," predicts
Bagratyan. "Later Kocharyan would become president through snap
elections and would reason it by an opportunity to procrastinate
signing a new document on Nagorno Karabakh."

"The president, for now, can stop Kochayan’s return to power. The only
way [for his return] would be early parliamentary and presidential
elections," believes Bagratyan.

However, members of the ruling coalition are against early elections
believing that they are capable of solving the existing problems
on their own. Coalition is silent, however, on whether Kocharyan’s
return is among the authorities’ set of tools, avoiding the questions
by saying something like "if Kocharyan decides to return, he will
announce it himself".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress