Kocharian's Return

[Mos]

Re: Kocharian's Return

I prefer Serzh over Kocharian, mainly because of the oligarch issue, though I still have respect for Kocharian in regards to his foreign policy. During his presidency he was very strong, while Serzh is a bit weaker. Though in all, I view Serzh as better as a whole for our country. Kocharian remember is Putin's right hand, and he takes a lot of inspiration from him, so his presidency would be similar to how Putin rules. The biggest domestic issue right now is getting rid of the oligarchic culture and making Armenia more business friendly.

[Haykakan]

Re: Kocharian's Return

The good thing about both Kocharian and Serj is they are not going to give up Artsakh. Kocharian is verymuch an oligarch now since he or his family owns businesses which are totally riping off the people of Armenia. His son runs the auto sales and does not pay the insane import fees which make no sence and only serve to destroy all competitors. This makes prices insanely high for the people due to the Kocharians wanting fattter wallets. Serj has made some very important reforms since taking power like implimenting a tax system and getting rid of those annoying cops that stop u every 15 minutes on the street asking for bribes. I wonder if Kocharian will have the same drive to reform considering he profits greatly from the problems Armenia has and would lose to competitors should fairness be implimented.

[Mos]

Will Kocharian return to Politics?

An interesting article, and possible political climate if Kocharian comes back to challenge Serzh. What do people think? Will he make a comeback, and if he does would you support him or Serzh?

Parallels Drawn in Armenia After Kremlin Reshuffle

Russia's ex-president Vladimir Putin (L) and Armenia's ex-president Robert Kocharian (archive photo)
27.09.2011
Irina Hovhannisyan, Suren Musayelyan
With Armenian politicians mostly remaining dismissive of the idea of any big changes coming in the former Soviet republic after the announced political reshuffle in Russia, local analysts and media have speculated about potentially wider implications of the back-to-Putin mode in the Kremlin.

Predictions that Armenia’s ex-president Robert Kocharian will attempt to make a political comeback have remained the highlight of local analysis ever since last Saturday’s convention of Russia’s ruling Yedinaya Rossiya party broke the news of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin exchanging their offices soon.

The intended switch deemed as a foregone conclusion in Russia has particularly given rise to fresh talks in Armenia about Kocharian’s plans to actively contest next year’s parliamentary elections and possibly run for president in 2013.

In one of his most recent analytical pieces head of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian underscores that “across a wide range of areas, from military and security issues to economic and political trends, Russia exerts significant influence over Armenia.”

“The return of Putin may exert significant influence over the course of Armenian politics, as it may encourage a similar return to power by former Armenian president Robert Kocharian,” writes Giragosian.

But the analyst acknowledges that “unlike the carefully constructed Russian model of political succession… former President Kocharian has been increasingly distressed over recent shifts in Armenian politics”.

Kocharian, who served two consecutive terms as Armenia’s president from 1998 to 2008, is believed to be in closer rapport with Putin than current president Serzh Sarkisian, while Sarkisian is believed to have a greater willingness to develop ties with the West than his predecessor.

Analysts also predict that the possible pressure from Kocharian may result in Sarkisian and his current political opponent Levon Ter-Petrosian moving closer towards each other.

In an article in Lragir.am analyst Hakob Badalian suggests that Kocharian’s return to major-league politics prompted by Putin’s returning to the presidential chair in Russia may create a situation in Armenia where Armenian National Congress (HAK) leader Ter-Petrosian will back Sarkisian to fend off the perceived Kocharian menace.

“In fact, if Russia, indeed, launches the project on the reanimation of Kocharian, it will force Ter-Petrosian and Sarkisian to try and find resources in the West,” writes Badalian.

But speaking to media on Monday spokesperson for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) Eduard Sharmazanov ruled out any differences within the current governing coalition. He reiterated that President Sarkisian intends to seek a second term in office and will rely on the support of the HHK and its two junior governing coalition partners, Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Orinats Yerkir, which signed a memorandum to this effect earlier this year.

After months of speculations about a possible rift within the governing coalition, the three political parties finally declared last February that they will back a single candidate to be fielded by the HHK for the 2013 presidential election.

“We’ve got this coalition memorandum and the Republican Party will press ahead with the reforms spearheaded by President Serzh Sarkisian,” stressed Sharmazanov.

Vartan Bostanjian, a parliament member representing the BHK, also ruled out any essential impact of the Kremlin reshuffle on the domestic political developments in Armenia.

“Tendencies show that there is nothing of the kind in Armenia,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

A spokesman for the BHK that has the second largest faction in the Armenian National Assembly, however, confirmed that the party’s leader Gagik Tsarukian attended the September 23-24 convention of Yedinaya Rossiya in Moscow. The BHK, which is believed to be Kocharian’s brainchild and his political support base, signed an inter-party cooperation agreement with Yedinaya Rossiya in 2008. And the fact that Tsarukian was an invited guest at the Moscow convention only fueled speculations about Kocharian’s plans to make a political comeback.

Meanwhile, a representative of Armenia’s main opposition alliance also dismissed any possible ‘Kremlin scenarios’ in Armenia.

Aram Manukian, a senior HAK member, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Tuesday that “the domestic political life in Armenia shall be decided by the Armenian people.”

But head of the parliamentary faction of the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) party Stepan Safarian was less categorical in his assessments. He suggested that the shape of future politics in Armenia would “largely depend on the outcomes of the 2012 parliamentary elections”.

“It will depend on how many votes the presidents poll and where they end in parliament,” he said.

[Vahram]

Re: Kocharian's Return

Yes Kocharian ga seerem, pitz gardzem Sarkisian ovelee love politico panair gena! Toorkair uboosh gereveen gore hima, uvelee love politico bedk e! Noren gesem yes Kocharian shud ga seerem! Katch e

[Haykakan]

Re: Kocharian's Return

MEDVEDEV/PUTIN, PUTIN/KOCHARYAN?: RUSSIA'S STRATEGY LEADS TO SPECULATION FOR ARMENIA
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
27.09.11 | 12:32

After late last week's official announcement of the Putin for
Medvedev replacement plan for Russia, a question has naturally risen
among Armenian political circles: would Putin's return also mean
Kocharyan's comeback, since Russia's ex-president Vladimir Putin is
known to be favouring his then-Armenian counterpart and loyal partner
Robert Kocharyan?

Members of the ruling coalition do not believe it's possible, and
make a reference to the memorandum signed early this year according
to which the coalition has committed to support Armenia's current
president Serzh Sargsyan's run for a second term in 2013.

However, Kocharyan's recently activated presence in the political field
as well as "the Putin factor" have lead many to a different assumption.

It is noteworthy that lately Vartan Oskanian, who was foreign minister
during Kocharyan's presidency, did not exclude such a possibility,
either. Cautious and diplomatically evasive Oskanian, who usually
refrains from speaking about Kocharyan, said in his interview to
"168 hours" local daily newspaper:

"My presumption is that Kocharyan would, after all, have political
involvement. For the start, parliamentary elections: I think there
will be some kind of involvement there."

(The Armenian Constitution stipulates that a president can serve two
successive terms - as did Kocharyan, but may return to power after
the next election cycle.)

It is worth noting, too, that Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik
Tsarukyan was present at the September 23-24 summit of Yedinaya Russia
(United Russia) party, during which the decision on supporting Putin's
candidacy for the office was announced.

It is common knowledge that Prosperous Armenia party was founded by
Kocharyan and is his political fulcrum, and Tsarukyan's participation
in that summit gives grounds for speculation.

"Of course, Tsarukyan has participated in Yedinaya Russia's summits
since 2008, however, that very year is significant, as it (marked
the end of Kocharyan's presidency) and these meetings were laying
the groundwork in anticipation of Kocharyan's return," political
analyst Narine Mkrtchyan, Yerevan's Slavonic University professor,
told ArmeniaNow. "We don't even have an idea how many times Kocharyan
personally went to meet Putin, we only know that Putin favors Kocharyan
much more than Serzh Sargsyan,".

People's Party leader Tigran Karapetyan believes that "Kocharyan will
definitely come back".

"If Levon Ter-Pterosyan [Armenia's first president] returned, why
wouldn't Robert Kocharyan?" he says.

Heritage party member, MP Armen Martirosyan thinks, nonetheless,
that the current president Serzh Sargsyan has more possibilities
for maneuvering now than Medvedev who never really managed to leave
Putin's shadow and that he [Sargsyan] can prevent Kocharyan's return.

"Despite the fact that Kocharyan has solid financial and human
resources, at the moment he is not powerful enough to fight against
Serzh Sargsyan," he says.

Whispers on Kocharyan's possible return started spreading somewhere
around mid-year when he increased his presence in the media and gave
lengthy interviews, however , whispers turned into full-sound voices
the fourth book about him got published.

A 500-page book titled "Robert Kocharyan in the fate of the Armenian
cause" tells about Kocharyan's "heroic deeds".

In the prologue the author, Marc Amatouni, writes introducing
Kocharyan:

"A powerful public, political leader of modern Armenian history,
infallible military theorist, the carrier and creator of the victorious
arms of the Artsakh heroic battle... the organizer and leader of
modern-day battles of Avarayr in the Great Patriotic war of the
Armenian nation, the reviver of the distorted heroic profile of an
Armenian, and the re-creator and carrier of the authentic image of
the Armenian national, state, and political figure."

[Federate]

Re: Kocharian's Return

Dashnak Leader Says Kocharian Comeback Possible



Former President Robert Kocharian could return to the political arena ahead of Armenia’s next presidential election due in 2013, a leader of a major political party that supported him during his rule said on Wednesday.

“Political forecasts is not a good thing, but I think that Robert Kocharian will become active after the [2012] parliamentary elections,” Hrant Markarian of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) told RFE/RL’s Armenian service in an interview.

Markarian said Kocharian may well come out of retirement if he sees “some danger, some threats facing the country.”

“I don’t want to speculate in what capacity [he would return,]” he said. “But I think that in countries like Armenia real government and policy changes are unfortunately conditioned by presidential elections.”

Kocharian could run for president or back another presidential candidate in 2013, speculated Markarian.

The 56-year-old ex-president handed over power to Serzh Sarkisian, his longtime political ally, after completing his second and final term in office in April 2008. There have been indications of growing friction between the two men in recent months.

In a statement on Monday, Kocharian expressed concern about Sarkisian’s unfolding dialogue with the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) led by another former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian. He warned of a possible “collusion” between the government and the HAK which he said would harm Armenia.

Armen Rustamian, another Dashnaktsutyun leader, had similar worries in a recent interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service. Rustamian said ordinary Armenians will probably “gain nothing from that dialogue.”

Dashnaktsutyun backed Kocharian and was represented in his governments throughout his 1998-2008 presidency. The nationalist party has been in opposition to the Sarkisian administration since April 2009. It is also at loggerheads with Ter-Petrosian’s HAK.

Markarian suggested that Sarkisian might decide to “weaken” Kocharian as part of a possible deal with the HAK.

“I don’t think that Robert Kocharian wants to come back but is not allowed to do that,” said the Dashnaktsutyun leader. “He is not the kind of person who needs permissions. He may be pondering on the expediency of his comeback and whom it would benefit and hurt and what his chances of success would be.”

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24098164.html

[gegev]

Re: Kocharian's Return

Kocharyan's statement on the Hanrapetakan party confirms that it is the President's party, regardless who the president is, and whether he is the party member or not. That is: it's one leader "party". By the way Galust Sahakyan softly/politely/(with fear) claimed that it is not "absolutely" true, but at the end he accepted that president/TheBoss consulted/ordered them: that is everything Kocharyan told about them is true.

I’m sure that the only party that cannot be fully controlled by the president/government is ARF; because it has members in Diaspora, and therefore cannot be humiliated.

Therefore the former Nature Protection Minister-Vardan Aivazian: accused by US diplomats in asking for the three million dollar bribe (WikiLeaks) still isn't under investigation and now is the National Assembly Commission chairman; appointed by Hanrapetakan party. Good place to practice corruption.

[gegev]

Re: Kocharian's Return

Kocharyan's statement on the Hanrapetakan party confirms that it is the President's party, regardless who the president is, and whether he is the party member or not. That is: it's one leader "party". By the way Galust Sahakyan softly/politely/(with fear) claimed that it is not "absolutely" true, but at the end he accepted that president/TheBoss consulted/ordered them: that is everything Kocharyan told about them is true.

I’m sure that the only party that cannot be fully controlled by the president/government is ARF; because it has members in Diaspora, too that cannot be humiliated.

[Mos]

Re: Kocharian's Return

The result of neo-liberal economic policies, and politics being so skewed to the right.

[Haykakan]

Re: Kocharian's Return

Imagine that, a socialist party (ARF) endorsing a oligarch lol. They had no problem i guess as the wealth of the country was being accumulated into the hands of the very few so why would it surprize anyone if the dashnaks backed kocharian or tzarukian or any of the other olis.. Maybe the ARF should no longer call itself a democratic socialist party because it has not acted like one in Armenia.