What is happening in the spheres of Armenia's security and foreign policy can be characterized by a single phrase – a complete fiasco, second President Robert Kocharyan said at the presentation of the pre-election program of his Armenia bloc on Saturday.
According to him, their first step in the security sphere will be the restoration of the combat readiness of the Armenian armed forces nor for fighting a war, but for ensuring a “decent peace”.
“There is simply no other option. The army is the basis of the country's security, it must be modern, highly professional and combat-ready. Our army needs support and serious reforms,” said the former president.
Kocharyan stated that the National Security Service (NSS) should again deal with the country's security issues, instead of carrying out "stupid orders to search for Satan, check cash register receipts or persecute the opposition.”
“Highly professional officers serve there, for whom, I am convinced, such assignments are offensive. We will take measures to never again allow the NSS to turn into political intelligence,” Kocharyan said.
Speaking about the police, the leader of the Armenia bloc underlined that the law enforcement agency is not meant to ensure the movements of one official, carry out his “whims” or serve his “morbid fears”.
“We will return the police exclusively to the sphere of functions envisaged by the laws of the Republic of Armenia. What we see almost on a daily basis is not normal,” he said.
Speaking about the foreign policy priorities, Kocharyan said that the “cheap policy of nimbleness” pursued today in the international arena will be ended.
“We will restore confidence in the country as a predictable and understandable partner,” he said, adding that friendly states will be offered a new and understandable agenda for bilateral cooperation.
“We should not suffer from a loser complex after losing the war. Believe me, this will be one of the most difficult challenges to overcome in the coming years. Defeat dealt us a hard blow, we must help our people overcome the complex that comes after such defeats,” Kocharyan said.
He claimed Armenia has the potential for quick recovery from the war, adding his team will do everything possible to make it a vital issue for Armenia's allies, first of all, for Russia.
“It is really very important to form a new agenda, we cannot but come up with new ideas. Together with our allies, we can ensure and protect the interests of the Republic of Armenia. We will restore our lost positions in international organizations, first of all, in organizations dealing with security issues,” said the second president, expressing strong conviction that they are able to provide such solutions for these issues so that Armenia never finds itself in such situations in the future.
“Therefore, we must move to build a strong Armenia,” Kocharyan said.
