Opinions of Artsakh political forces regarding the arrest of Robert  Kocharyan diverge

ArmInfo. The opinions of the Artsakh political forces regarding the arrest of the second president of Armenia, the first president of Artsakh and the hero of Artsakh  Robert Kocharyan within the framework of the case on March 1, 2008  diverge.

The head of the largest faction of the Artsakh parliament  "Free Homeland" Artur Tovmasyan stated in an interview with ArmInfo  correspondent that the investigation will answer all the questions.  He expressed hope that the process will proceed in accordance with  the norms and the letter of the law. "The party "Free Homeland",  trusting in Armenia's justice system, is sure that the process will  be purely legal, not political," the parliamentarian said, while  refusing to give an assessment of the arrest of Robert Kocharyan.  "The legality of this decision must be proved by the investigation,"  he stressed, again expressing the hope that the process will proceed  exclusively transparently so as not to leave room for public rumors.  At the same time, the parliamentarian stressed that the Artsakh  community and political forces are no less interested in uncovering  crimes on March 1 than the public and the authorities of Armenia.  Nevertheless, Tovmasyan stressed that the recent processes should not  become an occasion for a split between the Armenian and Artsakh  societies, the prerequisites of which are already visible in social  networks.

The former head of the commission on external issues of Artsakh  parliament Vahram Atanesyan, in an interview with ArmInfo  correspondent, dismissed the fears that the recent processes in  Armenia could become a subject for discord between the Armenian and  NKR societies: "I do not think Robert Kocharyan's arrest could become  Yes, some political forces have made ambiguous statements, but they  do not reflect the mood of the Artsakh public He also stressed that  if the investigative bodies of Armenia opened criminal cases against  the second president and CSTO secretary general, then they had  serious legal grounds and weighed all political risks. "I very much  hope that the process will be carried out exclusively in a legal  manner, that all this is not a vendetta, but solely a manifestation  of the rule of law and justice." I also hope that the defendants will  be given the opportunity to acquit themselves before the court, and I  would very much like them to prove their innocence " Atanesyan  stressed. At the same time, he considered it unlikely that the recent  processes could lead to internal political destabilization in  Armenia: "Yes, it is obvious that the former ruling party is  concerned, makes statements, but I think that this is not a desire to  protect Kocharyan, but a manifestation of one's own concern. The RPA  is concerned that during the investigation such facts can be revealed  that may lead to the inclusion of many party representatives in the  investigation process, "the expert said. Referring to the talk that  the army's discrediting can lead to the revival of the enemy,  Atanesyan considered it unlikely: "Such conversations were also  exaggerated when the hero of the Artsakh war, ex-Artsakh defense  minister Samvel Babayan was arrested, but as you can see, nothing  happened. I think that Azerbaijan causes its actions by arrests of  Babayan, Khachaturov or other high- ranking military personnel, and  if the army command does not want to discredit it, then it should not  involve the Sun in political processes. Harutyunyan should not have  signed the famous order 0038, but had to resign, if he did not agree  with the actions of the country's leadership, "the former  parliamentarian concluded.

Vice Speaker of the Artsakh parliament from ARF Dashnaktsutyun party  Vahram Balayan, in his turn, stated that he generally welcomes the  struggle of new Armenian authorities for establishing justice and  order in the country, however, Robert Kocharyan's arrest causes  serious concern in Artsakh. "In this regard, the law enforcement  bodies of Armenia should be as vigilant as possible and give very  substantiated answers to all questions in order to prevent political  speculation and unrest," the vice-speaker summed up.

The head of the "Democracy" faction Vardges Bagrian stated that the  arrest of Kocharian can not but cause concern in Artsakh, since he  was not only the second president of Armenia, but also the first  president of NKR, and also a hero of Artsakh. "Consequently, the  processes developing around him," can not leave us indifferent. I do  not share the enthusiasm of some political forces over the arrest of  Kocharyan, as this can bring discord to the society of the two  Armenian republics. At the same time, I do not pursue the goal of  protecting him, since Kocharyan does not need it, "he stressed,  having seen in the latter processes not so much the legal as the  political overtones.