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Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan has touched upon Armenia’s domestic political processes in an exclusive interview to Mediamax.

(The interview was recorded in the morning of September 11, before the leak of conversation between Director of National Security Service (NSS) Artur Vanetsyan and Head of the Armenian Special Investigation Service Sasun Khachatryan.) 

Ara Tadevosyan, Mediamax: Mr Kocharyan, after your arrest media resources that oppose you conducted polls in the streets with the majority of people speaking negatively about you. Media resources that support you have conducted their own polls and the picture was different. Are you ready to make an experiment, walk in the streets of Yerevan, Gyumri or Vanadzor and talk to people to find out what their real attitude towards you is? 

Robert Kocharyan: I think such interaction with people will not be quite representative. There are better methods of estimating public opinion, and my team is currently working in that direction. I have never had a problem of going out and meeting people. I have almost always traveled alone over the past years, met a lot of people, and I haven’t noticed negative attitude towards me. On the contrary, people approach me, take pictures and ask questions.

The euphoria, which prevails in Armenia, deformed the situation in a way, but I think I have the necessary base for considering further actions.

I would like to repeat that I am not afraid of meeting with the public, but it will hardly show the attitudes of people towards me.

Mediamax: You have mentioned euphoria. It came to replace the apathy in Armenian society, which you touch upon in your interviews over the recent years. Did what happened in April take you by surprise

Robert Kocharyan: No, not at all. I have already said that the seizure of Armenian police station in summer of 2016 was “a yellow card” to Armenian political system. I was shocked when part of Armenian population estimated positively those terrorist actions. Three policemen were killed, but despite this, people who committed those crimes, received quite wide public support. I realized the level of discontent among people, so the developments in April 2018 didn’t take me by surprise. I was only amazed at how this turned into so-called “velvet revolution”.

Mediamax: Were you surprised that Nikol Pashinyan was the one to consolidate people and lead the protest movement without bloodshed?

Robert Kocharyan: I think that the developments unfolded without blood not because of Nikol Pashinyan’s peaceful nature, but because the government didn’t take all the measures at its disposal. The government undertook passive resistance against the actions of the opposition. On the other hand, yes, I was surprised by the fact that Nikol Pashinyan was the one to lead the process – him, the leader of the bloc, which had only 9 mandates in the parliament. In my view, they realized the “historical moment”, “caught the wave” and reached extraordinary success.

Mediamax: You have criticized authorities a lot over the past 10 years. Do you regret choosing Serzh Sargsyan as your successor?

Robert Kocharyan: I wouldn’t like to give any estimation post-factum. The history is as it is. 

Mediamax: What was the principle that guided you in selecting your successor?

Robert Kocharyan: I prioritized the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Choosing my successor, first of all I thought about a person who would be able to provide security in the most efficient way. Serzh Sargsyan’s career showed that he was the most prepared candidate to take the responsibility.

Mediamax: While I was preparing for this interview, I read many of your interviews over the last ten years and I noticed that your criticism of the Armenian authorities was very similar to what Nikol Pashinyan said. I can see certain irony in the fact that the regime you both criticized has fallen but you and Pashinyan are now in opponents.

Robert Kocharyan: I always said I would express my opinion about all relevant issues, be that pension reform, constitutional amendments, economic policy. And I did.

Why I am at opposing poles with Nikol Pashinyan today? I don’t have a definite answer. Most likely, he sees me as some kind of a threat.

Mediamax: So again the confrontation moves into the personal, not ideological framework? Do you consider Nikol Pashinyan your enemy?

Robert Kocharyan: I am not used to applying these terms when I speak about political processes. But I think Nikol Pashinyan will regret messing with me. I do not think that the intimidated judge in the first instance court who considered my case hated me so much he appointed the hearing at 1:30am. I understand who wanted it to happen that way.

The full interview is available here.