We are entering a very difficult and risky period; today, these divisions are very deep. Armenia’s second president and the “Hayastan” (“Armenia”) bloc’s prime ministerial candidate, Robert Kocharyan, said this in an interview with Nouvelles d’Armenie magazine.

“In this region, we [i.e. Armenia] have traditionally had two countries with which we have had problems—Turkey and Azerbaijan, and two countries with which we have had friendly and allied relations—Russia and Iran.

We have a serious contractual base with Russia in the security sector, a Russian military base is located in Armenia, and long-standing friendly relations have been formed with Iran.

Today, problems with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain. Yes, they are trying to go for peace, and we are also for peace. But peace is not established with a single move of a finger. For this, time, relations, and a legal and contractual basis are needed.

However, today we are seriously undermining relations with Russia and Iran also. We are too small a country to afford such a luxury,” Kocharyan added.

According to him, Armenia should not destroy these relations, but preserve and strengthen them, and normalize relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan on this basis.

“The weaker you are, the weaker your negotiating positions are. What is being done today is, in fact, a weakening of Armenia’s positions in the complex negotiation process.

We do not think that [Armenia’s] relations with Russia hinder the improvement of relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he noted.

When asked whether Armenia can simultaneously secure the support of the West and Russia, the second president replied: “We have always had good relations with Europe, especially France.

The best relations with France, both at the state level and with [former French president] Jacques Chirac personally, were during my presidency. And relations with Russia have never hindered our cooperation with Europe and France.

However, it should be understood that France does not have the resources to have real influence in this region in terms of security. It can make statements, and that’s it.

And each time [Azerbaijani president Ilham] Aliyev has responded very rudely to clearly show that France has no influence in regional issues. The same applies to the European Union, which does not have its own security structure.

Russia’s role is growing in this region, and apart from Turkey, no other power is able to oppose its economic, military and, of course, all other spheres of influence.”

To the remark that the US is trying to strengthen itself in the region through the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, and asked whether it is a good project, Kocharyan responded: “Who knows what [US President Donald] Trump thinks? I have no idea. I don’t think this is a good or bad project. I think it simply won’t work. The question is whether it is feasible.

I don’t see how Armenia can benefit from this. This is not a project for Armenia. This is a project for Turkey and Azerbaijan to connect them to Central Asia.

We [i.e. Armenia] will essentially get nothing from this road, except for a small income from the 40-50 kilometer transit section. It is enough to just look at the map to understand that this is not a project for Armenia.

We cannot make becoming a transit country the basis of our economic development, or think that it can form a significant part of our economy.”

When asked how he plans to attract investment in Armenia and develop the country in that case, Kocharyan replied: “First of all, by opening more routes in the region. Our main trade route is not Azerbaijan, but Georgia. And in the future, if we can improve relations, Turkey can also become one.

But most importantly, we must develop our industry. Thanks to the potential and educational level of its population, Armenia was one of the most industrialized countries of the Soviet Union, significantly surpassing Azerbaijan.

We must implement a program to return industry to Armenia. This is not about heavy industry, which requires the import of large amount of raw materials, but about high-tech and leading industry, without which I do not see the future of Armenia.

We had a powerful school of versatile engineers, which we are gradually losing today. Every day we are losing the importance that we once had in the Soviet Union.

Our human potential is a success story that can be restored. We can move in that direction.

What is needed to attract foreign investment? Business security, country’s stability, and appealing economic policy.

If you create such a favorable environment, there will definitely be investments. I have experienced this from my own experience.”

Source: https://news.am/en/news/1035425