On 17 December, the second president of Armenia and a close friend to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Robert Kocharyan, went to Moscow to discuss the issue of Pashinyan’s successor, Telegram channel Bagramyan26 reported. Formally, Kocharyan could not leave the country, since he was under investigation, and the term of the previous permission of the court to leave Armenia ended. However, was Kocharyan given permission to leave the country.
The First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, who is responsible for negotiations with Moscow on all key issues, also left for Moscow yesterday. The key issue now is Pashinyan’s resignation and the preservation of stability in the country.
The leader of the parliamentary opposition party Bright Armenia Edmon Marukyan also flew to the Russian capital. He is also considered to be a convenient candidate for the prime minister spot after Pashinyan submits his resignation. Marukyan will definitely not start a vendetta against Pashinyan and his team.
The visits of these people to Moscow are interconnected. According to Bagramyan26, the issue of replacing Pashinyan is being discussed peacefully. Pashinyan's resignation is just a matter of time. Details and mechanisms are currently being discussed. The main objective is to prevent the election of opposition candidate Vazgen Manukyan and to achieve the nomination of a politician acceptable to the authorities. This politician would be an interim prime minister until elections are held and a new government is formed.
In addition, Pashinyan wants to receive security guarantees for himself, his family and team in case of leaving his post. Only Kocharyan can give such guarantees on behalf of the opposition. If Moscow agrees on a candidate acceptable to the opposition and the authorities and ensure the safety of Pashinyan and the team, then would Pashinyan resign before the New Year. The fate of the Armenian state is not only in the hands of Pashinyan, but also of the opposition. The sooner they come to a compromise, the fewer losses the country will have.
Meanwhile Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian held a series of meetings in order to find a solution to the post-war political crisis in Armenia. He met with the leader of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary opposition party Gagik Tsarukyan, prime minister candidate of Vazgen Manukyan, Robert Kocharyan, leader of the Republican party Serzh Sargsyan and parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.
When speaking on his potential resignation and the organising of snap parliamentary elections in the country, Pashinyan said that he cannot single-handedly call new parliamentary elections and that there has to be a general agreement.
The Armenian opposition groups campaigning for Pashinyan’s resignation called for a general strike scheduled for the 22 December. “A nationwide strike and a boycott of university classes in Armenia is declared starting from 12 a.m. on Tuesday,” said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, one of the leaders of a coalition of 16 opposition parties that launched the protests following Armenia’s defeat in the war with Azerbaijan. “The whole country must be paralysed so that this scarecrow resigns as soon as possible,” Saghatelyan added. He said that the 22 December would be “the most decisive day” of the opposition push to oust Pashinyan and install an interim government tasked with holding fresh parliamentary elections within a year.
