Echoing criticism voiced by Russian officials, Kocharian deplored “provocative statements” made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other foreign leaders during two European summits hosted by Pashinian’s government earlier this week.
“They are trying to drag us into a new adventure again,” he told a campaign rally held in the town of Vagharshapat. “Are they doing this to please [French President Emmanuel] Macron, or are there deeper reasons?”
“There are two reasons,” he went on. “First, they [the Armenian authorities] have nothing to say because they have not fulfilled any of their promises and have come up with that threat of war with which they need to convince our people to get reelected. And second, they are dragging us into a new adventure … so that the Europeans turn a blind eye to everything that is happening in Armenia today.”
Armenian opposition leaders have for years accused the West of turning a blind eye to what they see as Pashinian’s crackdowns on dissent for geopolitical reasons. They view this week’s European Political Community and EU-Armenia summits in Yerevan as a show of support for Pashinian ahead of the June 7 general elections.
Macron openly endorsed Pashinian during his trip to Armenia. He repeatedly praised the Armenian premier’s efforts to reorient the South Caucasus nation, traditionally allied to Russia, towards the West.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused the Armenian government of siding with the European Union against Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month of a heavy cost of that policy, pointing to Armenia’s dependence on Russia for trade and energy.
Kocharian’s Hayastan bloc is widely regarded as one of the three leading opposition groups challenging Pashinian’s Civil Contract party. Pashinian has repeatedly branded them as a “three-headed party of war” keen to reignite Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan. Opposition leaders say he is resorting to scaremongering in a desperate bid to avoid losing power.
“We strive for peace, but peace must be guaranteed. This is not peace,” Kocharian, dismissing Pashinian’s regular assertions that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has already been resolved.
A lasting peace can only be based on a “a strong army, a strong leader and ally,” added the 71-year-old ex-president who had ruled Armenia from 1998-2008.