Issue of Arayik Harutyunyan`s resignation raised three months before  fall of Artsakh - Robert Kocharyan 

ArmInfo. During the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, the second President of the Republic of  Armenia Robert Kocharyan was in constant contact with the former leaders of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan. Robert Kocharyan himself stated this at a press conference on February 17.

According to him, this contact was almost daily, but there were cases  when conversations took place several times a day. As for the former  President of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan, as Robert Kocharyan  noted, the issue of his resignation began to be discussed three  months before the fall of Artsakh.

"What happened in the last week was the third attempt to force  Harutyunyan to resign. Each time during the discussions, the latter  constantly stated that from now on he had no influence, and in this  context the most correct decision was to resign, but each time Bako  Sahakyan convinced Arayik Harutyunyan to refuse this step," the  second president of the Republic of Armenia said, adding that the  last time Harutyunyan, having gathered everyone, declared that he  would take this step anyway. Harutyunyan himself tried to prove to  people that his decision was the most correct. As Kocharyan  emphasized, he discussed this possibility with at least three  officials, without naming the names of these three persons.

The Armenian authorities and circles close to them very often draw  attention to the fact of Arayik Harutyunyan's resignation,  considering this to be pressure from the ARF Dashnaktsutyun party,  after which Nagorno-Karabakh fell.

On January 17, under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, the  Baku Military Court began considering the "indictment" against the  former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh. Among the accused are three  former presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh: Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako  Sahakyan and Arayik Harutyunyan. Also appearing before the court will  be former Foreign Minister David Babayan, Parliament Speaker David  Ishkhanyan, former Defense Army Commander General Levon Mnatsakanyan,  General David Manukyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.