[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Armenian]

A jailed former Armenian president has described himself as a "political prisoner" and accused the government of poor state governance, News.am reported on 25 January.

Robert Kocharyan is in pre-trial detention, facing charges of "overturning the constitutional order" in the crackdown on protesters against the outcome of the 2008 presidential election in Armenia.

In an address to his supporters, Kocharyan said that despite being in "illegal detention", he was closely watching developments in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the wider region.

'Political prisoner'

Kocharyan called himself a "political prisoner". He reiterated that the criminal case launched against him was fabricated "by a number of adventurers" and that it would go down as "a shameful page" in Armenia's history.

He, however, said that the detention would not "suppress" him or make him abandon his political activity. He thanked all his teammates and supporters for their "consistent struggle". "This is not struggle for the freedom of one individual but for the values that laid the foundation for our victories, and for the security and prosperity of our country and Artsakh [Karabakh]," Kocharyan said.

"I have no doubt that the current developments are… temporary and will end in the nearest future because lies never last long. No government that is based on lies, ignorance or hatred has ever had a long life," Kocharyan was quoted as saying.

'Absolute inability' to govern

Kocharyan also said that the government was bad at state governance. "It is obvious that the current authorities led by Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan, unfortunately, demonstrate absolute inability in terms of political and state governance. The quality of the parliamentary majority does not provide any chance to believe that this new ruling team is able to lead the country efficiently," Kocharyan was quoted as saying.

He said a "big wave of disappointment" would rise in the near future that will be the result of "unrealistic and populist promises". He said the price to be paid for "gross mistakes" in economic, domestic and foreign policies would be very high.

Karabakh

Kocharyan also commented on the long-standing Karabakh territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said that "any blunder (and blunders have already been made) in the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement could cause irreversible and fatal consequences".

The Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region broke away from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s.