Former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has reiterated that neither he nor his political allies aim to return to power, emphasizing instead their singular goal of bringing about a change in government.
"I have stated that neither I nor my teammates intend to return to power. Our goal is regime change," he said in response to a question on whether disagreements between him and Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan outweigh their shared aim of removing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and why a united agreement has not yet been formed, reports Panorama.am .
"If you ask personally, I have two main goals: a change of power and the return of my friends from Baku prisons. I want nothing else. Let others take whatever else they wish," he added.
Addressing the issue of opposition candidate Edmon Marukyan and the impeachment process, Sargsyan made clear: "We cannot vote for, or support even on the streets, someone who has been part of today’s ruling administration, has worked with them, and taken part in all these tragedies. We’ve seen how he operates."
When asked whether he would accept a candidate from Kocharyan’s team—or Kocharyan himself—Sargsyan responded affirmatively.
"We have said yes. Yes. Let anyone come," he stated.
He also underscored the importance of external support but stressed that no external power can be effective without an internal movement.
"Yes, outside support is very important, but at this point I don’t see it in a sufficient volume. Still, I’m confident that if we fully commit our efforts, supporters and forces from different parts of the world will join the movement," the third President of Armenia said.
In an interview, Kocharyan remarked that the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) came to power during his presidency.
“It’s a serious question—who backed whom in their political ascent? It’s even a matter of ethics to raise such issues. If it becomes necessary to form a coalition to remove these authorities, I don’t believe we’ll have an alternative. But I don’t see us running together in elections,” he said.
