“I kept silent because I did not want to exploit the Karabakh topic during the election campaign. However, the first President forced me to disclose some information. I told a minor part of what I know about Ter-Petrosyan. Vazgen Manukyan can tell more about Ter-Petrosyan’s activities during the Karabakh war,” RA President Robert Kocharian said at a meeting with the students and teaching staff of Yerevan State University.
“The ex-President was not even informed of Shushi liberation. When I resign I will tell more,” he said.
“The joy of Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters when they heard their leader saying ‘the power pyramid is collapsing’ is rather a strange phenomenon. Those who are happy to see “destruction” of their own country behave as though they live in another state. I often ask myself whether these people have any connection to their homeland,” he said.
As to the dismissed Foreign Ministry employees, Mr Kocharian reminded all they were relatives or friends of the ex-President. “Those dismissed are not traitors. They just went back to Ter-Petrosyan. Although, I think they have already regretted their move. As you remember, I discharged two ambassadors and one deputy minister. 6 MFA employees were dismissed by the Foreign Minister. I would like to remind that in 1998, when I came to power, the wives of Vano Siradeghyan and Ara Sahakyan retained their posts. The same can be said about Shahen Karamanukyan. I think it’s shameful to square accounts by means of families,” the President said.
