Republican Party of Armenia

 

I address you not as a politician, but as an Armenian, as a person whose life and faith are inseparably bound to this land and water, to this country. Our political party has already announced its decision not to participate in the upcoming elections. This is not merely a political position, but a collective, well-considered, and well-reasoned decision — a historic decision.

 

In the spring of 2018, when my team and I stepped down, we did so in fulfillment of your will. In my resignation statement eight years ago I wrote a sentence which, due to the editing of one of the beneficiaries of that text and the subsequent manipulation by my “sworn” friends, was attempted to turn into a stigma against me.

 

Throughout my life, I have made both right and wrong decisions. The hardest — and, I believe, the most correct — decision I ever made was to “break my own promise” and seek the office of Prime Minister in 2018.

 

Unfortunately, that was also my greatest mistake, because I failed to explain to our people that the purpose of my nomination was not at all to hold on to power, but to ensure the security of Karabakh and Armenia. Yes, Nikol was right — he was prepared to go all the way and had no red lines at all — I should not have run. And I was mistaken in thinking that we would be able to explain to our own people that, in a complex negotiating situation, my departure would lead to disaster. It was obvious to me that, at that stage of the negotiations, changing the negotiator and effectively resetting the negotiations to zero would have tragic consequences: which is exactly what happened. Not because I was the best negotiator, but because I knew all the parties involved in the negotiations in depth, had institutional memory, and understood the value of Karabakh and of victory — as a member of the team that had achieved that victory and then preserved it.

 

Yes, Nikol was right — I was unable to explain myself, while he succeeded in deceiving our people.

 

As a result of running for Prime Minister in 2018, I lost a lot of things — from not being understood to, as a consequence, being rejected by my own people. Yet, with the perspective of years I must say with confidence that I would walk through that purgatory again, because I was certain that in this way we would avert any disaster.

 

I could not explain it to the people, because the people did not want to listen. I was “mistaken” while being right.

 

In 2018, I sought the office of Prime Minister in order to guarantee the security of Armenia and Artsakh, so that there would be no bloodshed at the borders; then I resigned so as not to let bloodshed happen within our borders. And today — eight years after my resignation — a substantial part of the people believes that Nikol’s rule will endure for as long as the “former authorities” remain in the front ranks of the political struggle against him.

 

I submit to this demand of the people too: if the participation of my party and myself, even by one percent, is going to contribute to the reproduction of the current regime, we are taking a step back in order to give people the opportunity to express their will soberly and without emotion, and to give the other opposition forces the chance to fulfill, without any hindrance, their promise of bringing about a change of government through elections.

 

I began my path with the formation of Artsakh self-defense forces, and I have considered the greatest honor of my life to be having taken part in forging our people’s victory and in preserving that victory. During its years in government, the Republican Party did everything to safeguard a secure Armenia and Armenian Artsakh, and to preserve and cherish with dignity the greatest victory of the Armenian people in the last hundred years. Of course, there were mistakes and disappointments, but I am firmly convinced that those mistakes are forgivable and can be corrected, and the proof of this is that today we stand before our people openly and with a clear conscience.

 

It is no secret that the Republican Party did not want to participate in the 2021 elections either, but we were forced to take that step. In contrast to the opposition’s claims of certain victory, the polling numbers were suggesting otherwise. We took part in those elections in an attempt to prevent the final betrayal and surrender of Artsakh. It was obvious that the fraudster who, for 44 days, kept repeating his “we will win” lies and then signed a capitulation, and who during the 2021 campaign was promising the de-occupation of Artsakh, was in fact going to surrender Artsakh behind the people’s back and leave the Armenians of Artsakh alone against the enemy — thereby, as a consequence, throwing open Armenia’s gates to the enemy.

 

Months ago, the Republican Party tabled the impeachment initiative as the only realistic way of getting rid of this government. It was clear to us that they and their foreign patrons had already begun rigging the elections — by imprisoning dissenters, handing out electoral bribes from the budget at the cost of doubling the state debt, and turning a blind eye to the lawlessness that was growing by the day. Under these conditions, fair and competitive elections were, in our judgment, impossible. Yet unfortunately, our parliamentary partners chose a different path — waiting for the elections. I wish them success in justifying that decision.

 

I am convinced that, in this situation, a broad union is necessary to secure the opposition’s victory, so as to prevent the vote splitting, which would serve the interests of the incumbent regime. The Republican Party will continue to maintain its strong role as an extra-parliamentary force — for the sake of historical memory, dignity, and the Armenian dream.

 

The group that has severed Armenia from its roots, brought it to its knees, buried it in debts, and flooded it with lies — must go. The alternative is terrifying — a horror for our country, our people, and the next generation. It is a horror for that group as well: they simply do not realize it yet. We must wake up before it is too late.

 

I wish dignified peace, common sense and harmony to our country and our people.