Kocharyan on EU Integration, Moscow Trip, and His Future

Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, made a series of statements at a meeting with representatives of selected media outlets, addressing domestic and foreign policy, his recent visit to Moscow, and his own political future.

Speaking about Armenia's foreign policy vector, Kocharyan described the government's steps towards European integration as an "imitation process." He noted that there is a clear procedure for joining the European Union, which Armenia is not following. "Yesterday, a department for European integration was created at the Foreign Ministry. There is no European integration, but there is a department," he ironically emphasized. Referring to relations with the US, Kocharyan expressed skepticism about Washington's real interests. "The US president probably doesn't know where Armenia is. Armenia does not have that significance. If the US had vital interests in the South Caucasus, they would not confuse Armenia with Albania, and Azerbaijan with Cambodia," the second president said.

Speaking about regional security and past agreements, he noted that the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, compared to the current realities, can be considered a "dream document," as it also implied the existence of Artsakh.

The second president also clarified the rumors surrounding his recent visit to Moscow, stating that it was private and personal. "I was in Moscow a month ago, for two days, Saturday and Sunday. If I had the purpose of official visits or if I applied, I would have chosen other days during the week," he said.

In response to the question of whether he had not thought about leaving politics to defeat Pashinyan, Kocharyan assured that he continues to be a key player. "I think the 2021 elections showed that I have a certain amount of influence and the ability to consolidate a certain mass. Sociology very clearly shows that in my case, we will gather more votes than in the case of someone else from our team," he concluded.