Only those people who value their reputation will be involved in state administration – Robert Kocharyan

Panorama, Armenia

Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the Armenia bloc running in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, on Wednesday said the current authorities are seeking reelection after “failing to fulfil any of their promises and lacking any personnel resources.”

At a meeting with voters in the town of Artik in Armenia’s Shirak Province, he blamed the authorities for “discrediting” the entire state system.

He noted that the government can be trusted or not, but when it ceases to be respected, it causes disasters, preventing the government from implementing any program.

"Armenia is a country which has always faced very serious security threats. Over the recent three years, 5 directors of the National Security Service and 4 chiefs of the General Staff have been replaced, with the latter being replaced amid an undeclared war,” Kocharyan said.

"In a country experiencing an economic crisis, three ministers of economy have been replaced. Is this a sabotage or stupidity? Let everyone judge for themselves," the ex-president told the meeting, adding that the current authorities do not realize what the stability in the state administration means.

The leader of the Armenia bloc claimed that today the country’s Foreign Ministry is non-functional and cannot work in that crucial sphere, while the whole system is led by a man, who cannot “control himself, but believes that he can rule a country.”

Expressing conviction that his team will win the June 20 elections due to their superior experience and knowledge, he stated: “We will never appoint a lawyer to lead the healthcare sector, or we will never appoint a historian to lead the water economy, we will rely on professional knowledge and will appoint people who are able to manage others.”

Robert Kocharyan assured that only those people who value their reputation and won't be “snubbed a handshake” after leaving office will be involved in the state administration.

Announcing that his team plans to build a national state, to quickly restore the economy and to handle security issues, Robert Kocharyan asked the attendees to convey his message to those citizens who have not yet decided who to vote for.