Former President Robert Kocharian has distanced himself from Gagik Tsarukian’s political activities just weeks after the influential tycoon reputed to be close to him retired from politics under strong government pressure.
In an interview published on Wednesday, Kocharian insisted that Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), the second largest in parliament, has never been his support base and denied any responsibility for its “dismantling” by President Serzh Sarkisian.
“I have closely followed political processes of the last several years but have never participated in them,” he told 2rd.am, his unofficial website. “I had good relations and contacts with Gagik Tsarukian but did not cut shadowy political deals on future formats of cooperation with the [BHK] party and its leader.”
Kocharian argued that the BHK joined forces last year with two other, established opposition parties that are highly critical of his track record in power. He claimed that he could not have cooperated with the Armenian National Congress (HAK) and the Zharangutyun party under any circumstances.
Armenia - Former President Robert Kocharian receives an award from National Olympic Committee Chairman Gagik Tsarukian, near Yerevan, 26Dec2013.
Because of Tsarukian’s reputed ties to Kocharian both the HAK and Zharangutyun have been criticized by other opposition forces for their alliance with the BHK. The alliance held a series of anti-government rallies last fall and threatened to stage more such protests this year in a bid to overthrow Sarkisian.
Sarkisian responded in February by ordering law-enforcement authorities to investigate tax evasion and other “crimes” possibly committed by Tsarukian. The order also led to brief mass detentions of BHK activists across the country.
Tsarukian capitulated in the following days, saying that he will stop challenging the government to avoid bloodshed in Armenia. He went on to resign as BHK leader and retire from politics altogether. The BHK faction in the 131-seat parliament has since shrunk from 36 to 24 deputies.
Some of the faction’s current and former members, notably former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, held senior government positions during Kocharian’s 1998-2008 presidency. Observers have portrayed this fact as further proof that Kocharian is behind the BHK’s activities. Some have even suggested that the ex-president will use Tsarukian and his party for staging a political comeback.
“The dismantling of the BHK has certainly made life easier for the authorities and thereby strengthened the political monopoly existing in the country,” Kocharian told 2rd.am. He reiterated his highly critical evaluation of the Sarkisian administration’s economic policies and his successor’s controversial plans to amend the Armenian constitution.
But more importantly, Kocharian said nothing about the likelihood of his return to active politics in the foreseeable future.