RPA member: Kocharyan declines intra-opposition ‘truce proposal’

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armen Ashotyan, vice president of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and currently under house arrest, stated that in the midst of growing internal and external crises, political discourse in Armenia is increasingly focused on election preparations. This focus, he says, is often accompanied by statements and initiatives that contrast with Stanislavsky’s call: “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art.”

Referring to a recent interview by former President Robert Kocharyan, Ashotyan emphasized that Kocharyan effectively rejected former President Serzh Sargsyan’s proposal for an intra-opposition “ceasefire.”

“The Republican Party, while never ruling out participation in elections, continues unsuccessfully to persuade opposition allies not to accept the appalling status quo and not to postpone the issue of regime change until 2026,” Ashotyan wrote.

He added that public statements by any former national leader carry weight and should be viewed as politically significant, rather than simply as expressions of dissatisfaction or attempts to correct the faults of allies.

While agreeing with Kocharyan’s assessments of international and regional developments, Ashotyan noted disagreements on domestic political issues, accusing Kocharyan of one-sided approaches.

Ashotyan clarified that he did not intend to provide a detailed analysis of the interview’s content but instead aimed to stimulate political discussion by focusing on key questions.

He identified what he called the opposition’s three traps:

1. Western support for Pashinyan is waning, but this should not be overly relied upon or misinterpreted, particularly as the U.S. remains institutionally consistent under the Biden administration, and Donald Trump’s potential return may still face internal resistance and unpredictable foreign policy outcomes.
2. Low public trust in the current regime does not equate to high support for the opposition. The electorate disappointed in Pashinyan but not aligned with any opposition faction remains a fertile ground for unexpected political projects and manipulations.
3. Misinterpretation of local electoral success, particularly in Gyumri, where projecting the results onto a national scale is methodologically flawed. The behavior of Kocharyan-affiliated teams in Gyumri toward other opposition actors was, according to Ashotyan, beyond acceptable limits.

Ashotyan criticized the deepening fragmentation within the opposition, which he believes will lead to vote-splitting that benefits the current regime.

He noted that Kocharyan’s latest statements contradict his earlier positions, particularly the implication that Pashinyan could be defeated without a united opposition. This shift, Ashotyan claims, undermines the significance of Gyumri’s results as proof of Kocharyan’s strategy.

Ashotyan found it peculiar that Kocharyan focused more on criticizing Serzh Sargsyan and the RPA than on the current authorities, attributing this to a strategy of “differentiation for election.”

He argued that Kocharyan’s historical assessments unfairly downplayed the roles of Vazgen Sargsyan and Serzh Sargsyan in his own political victories, and questioned the sincerity of his claims about not planning a political comeback between 2008 and 2018.

Referring to Kocharyan’s book, Ashotyan encouraged readers to examine the PS and PPS sections to understand the contradictions.

He also rebuked Kocharyan’s use of the term “political monopoly,” suggesting it contradicts his earlier claims about the RPA and other political alternatives.

Kocharyan’s comments on the role of former Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and the 2021 snap elections also drew Ashotyan’s criticism, who accused him of overlooking important facts and oversimplifying complex realities.

Lastly, Ashotyan challenged Kocharyan’s recent remarks about impeachment procedures, arguing that failing to act on them undermines future efforts.

He concluded with a reference to Kocharyan's emoji proposal labeling Pashinyan a symbol of ignorance, suggesting instead that the emoji should represent betrayal.