Armenia: Robert Kocharyan`s arrest is an attempt to break the center of resistance before new trials for Armenia

ArmInfo. The arrest of Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, is intended to break the center of resistance before the next trials awaiting the country. This was stated by Agnessa Khamoyan, a member of parliament from the "Armenia" faction, at a press conference in Yerevan on September 8.

According to the MP, the country is facing serious developments in the near future. In particular, Khamoyan explained, these include attempts to change the Armenian Constitution, the issue of Tigranashen, which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calls an Azerbaijani toponym after the parliamentary elections, and other issues. "It is clear that in the next 2-3 months, we also expect serious developments in relations with Russia, regarding the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin indicate that they will not expect a long-term response from Armenia. "We have the example of the CSTO, where Armenia froze its participation, and in the case of the EAEU, Pashinyan is also trying to stall for time, leaving this issue open while simultaneously trying to resolve problems with exports through the EU, with which everything is also very uncertain," the opposition member noted. [Considering the above, the MP noted that the arrest of Armenia's second president is connected to an attempt to neutralize a force capable of resisting.] "And in this sense, it is obvious why he is under arrest today – to crush the center of resistance. But I want to say that even under these conditions, we intend to fight back, because we do not intend to accept the agenda Pashinyan is proposing. And this is the agenda he brought to our country together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev." "The interests the Armenian prime minister serves today are unacceptable to us, and they cannot be acceptable to the Armenian people," the MP stated.

Commenting on statements from Brussels that it is premature to talk about Armenia gaining visa-free travel by 2029, Khamoyan urged that this process be viewed in the same light. She called it another lie spread by Pashinyan, recalling that European officials themselves have debunked it. "Armenia will not become an EU member for at least the next 10-20 years." In this sense, it is also a lie that the visa-free regime liberalization process will be completed by 2029," Khamoyan concluded.

As a reminder, on August 25, National Security Council officers conducted searches in the apartment of Levon Kocharyan, an MP from the opposition Armenia faction and the son of second president Robert Kocharyan, and in companies affiliated with the Kocharyan family. Robert Kocharyan and Sedrak Kocharyan were then detained and taken to the Anti-Corruption Committee for questioning. However, Robert Kocharyan's condition, who had undergone heart surgery in early August, sharply worsened, and he was hospitalized. Robert Kocharyan was charged that same day with large-scale money laundering, abuse of office, and accepting a large bribe. Nine other individuals were also charged in the case. On August 27, the Anti-Corruption Court ordered Kocharyan's arrest for two months.

It should be added that the political forces of Armenia's second president associate his arrest with an attempt to neutralize one of the main opposition figures amid the Armenian government's readiness to make further concessions to Azerbaijan.