Making a rare public appearance, former President Robert Kocharian expressed concern on Friday over what he said are attempts to undermine Armenia’s close relationship with Russia.
Kocharian attended a Russian-Armenian security forum in Yerevan amid court hearings that could lead to his renewed arrest on charges stemming from the deadly breakup of opposition demonstrations during the final weeks of his 1998-2008 rule.
Armenia’s Court of Appeals began the hearings on Tuesday three months after freeing Kocharian from pre-trial custody. They will resume next Monday.
“Russian-Armenian relations need special care now,” the embattled ex-president told the forum organized by the newly formed Lazarev Club bringing together Armenian and Russian pundits. “Direct or indirect calls for revising Armenia’s and the Armenians’ traditional geopolitical priorities in these troubled times pose a significant threat even without being put into practice.”
“Information technology and social media provide ample opportunities to manipulate public opinion,” he said. “They can insert into our societies elements of doubt and mistrust towards each other, which would inevitably to lead to the start of an erosion of our long-running ties.”
Kocharian did not specify who he thinks wants to damage those ties. He said instead: “Friendship ends when there emerge doubts about the sincerity of intentions of friends and when one of the parties always seeks to gain more than it is ready to give. It’s hard and costly to be friends with those who constantly solicit, annoy and whine.”
Kocharian has repeatedly accused the current Armenian authorities of jeopardizing the relationship with Russia since announcing his return to active politics in August. The authorities dismiss his claims.
The ex-president was arrested in July and spent nearly a month in jail. He was charged with illegally using the armed forces against opposition supporters who protested against alleged fraud in a disputed presidential election held in February 2008. Eight protesters and two police personnel were killed when security forces quelled those protests on March 1-2, 2008.
Kocharian denies the charges, saying that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is waging a political “vendetta” against him.
Russia likewise condemned his arrest as politically motivated. Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Kocharian to congratulate him on his 64th birthday anniversary on August 31. Kocharian afterwards described the phone call as a show of “serious support.”
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