Third President Serzh Sargsyan on Thursday promised a strong campaign, on behalf of his Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), for ousting the “defeatist government” and embarking on real state-building efforts through direct popular elections.
Speaking to reporters outside a Yerevan district court (which today held a hearing over the case accusing the former president of “embezzlement of state funds”), the leader of the former ruling political force also expressed regret that their earlier warnings “did not receive a wide public resonance” to prevent the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
“A bloody war was required – with colossal losses and dispossession – to open our people’s eyes and give them a real understanding of the intentions and essence underlying the current government’s actions. The tragedy was not unfortunately possible to avert, but I do see a way for rising from the dead. The capitulators must quit to enable the people to elect a state-oriented government to embark on stepping up the security of Armenia and our citizens’ well-being. We do not have an alternative.”
The former president said that despite the party losses – suffered in the past three years since the government change – they now have a “professional and competitive team” to fight for the nation and a strong state.
Sargsyan also vowed “not to leave the political trenches” in any case, reaffirming his dedication to statehood protection and strengthening. “The Republican Party has always been and will remain vocal. Our actions will be clearly outlined, calculated, coordinated and goal-oriented,” he added.