Edward Sharmazanov: RPA ready to cooperate with second Armenian president

ArmInfo.  The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, has all the rights to return to politics. On August 28, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Republican Party Spokesman Edward Sharmazanov stated this during a conversation with journalists.

Noting that in this case it is about his personal opinion, Sharmazanov, at the same time stressed that the second president has both a moral, political and legal right to engage in politics. "I believe that he will be engaged in politics, he is already engaged in it," the vice-speaker stressed.

Asked if the Republican Party is consolidating with the second president of Armenia, Sharmazanov noted that the RPA is consolidating around its ideas and goals. "Anyone who adheres to these ideas and our agenda will be our ally, the Republican Party is ready to cooperate with all political forces, including Robert Kocharyan," the RPA spokesman said.

Touching upon the attitude of the third president of Armenia, the head of the Republican Party Serzh Sargsyan to the current situation around Robert Kocharyan, Sharmazanov noted that this issue was not discussed. "However, in connection with the arrest of Kocharian, the RPA twice distributed the statement, and the party's statement can not be published, without taking into account the position of the party's head," the vice-speaker said.

To recall,  second Armenian President Robert Kocharian was imprisoned on July 28. The ex-president was charged under part 1 of Article 300.1 of the RA Criminal Code - overthrowing the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia by preliminary collusion with other persons, which provides for deprivation of liberty from ten to fifteen years in the criminal case on dispersal of protest actions on March 1-2, 2008 . On August 8, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia rejected a petition signed by more than 40 deputies to change the measure of restraint of Kocharyan, explaining this by the fact that at this stage of the investigation there are still grounds for arresting the retired president, and choosing a non-custodial preventive measure is not capable of guaranteeing the unimpeded progress of the investigation.  Nevertheless, on August 13, the Armenian Appeal Court granted the petition of the lawyers of ex-President Robert Kocharian and canceled the decision of the first instance court referring to the constitutional norm on the inviolability of the former heads of state. The defense did not exclude the complete closure of the criminal case on usurpation of state power in 2008. "The decision of the Armenian Criminal Court of Appeal is unlawful, the Criminal Court of Appeal went beyond its powers," the Special Prosecutor's Office said in response to the decision, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia filed a cassation appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal on August 20 the release of former Armenian President Robert Kocharian from the arrest, which was accepted for consideration by the Court of Cassation on August 21.  Meanwhile, according to the head of the SSS, Sasun Khachatryan, if suddenly the cassation instance decides, that Robert Kocharyan is not subject to criminal prosecution taking into account his presidential status, which, according to him, is absurd, since a person can not have absolute immunity in connection with his office, the issue will be taken to the next level - to the Constitutional Court. Robert Kocharian - Hayk Alumyan, said that if the Court of Cassation of Armenia decides to re-arrest the second president, they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).