Commenting on the recent attack by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukyan,  Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharian, in an interview with 2rd .am, noted that he couldn’t understand why Sargsyan publicly slandered Tsarukyan and, in any event, if Sargsyan’s goal was to weaken the BHK, his attempt backfired.

“On the contrary, there are signs of the opposition uniting. Any moves against the leader of the BHK will now be seen as a political witch-hunt that lacks any justification,” Kocharian said in the interview.

Kocharian said that given the social tension in Armenia and the widespread support enjoyed by Tsarukyan and his party, further attempts by the current government to cleanse the political field will only increase unity against the regime and prospects for civic upheavels in the country.

“It is not hard to predict how all of this will impact on the economy, on the situation along the line of contact, and on the implementation of upcoming events commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Genocide,” Kocharian told 2rd.am.

Asked if he saw a way out of the current domestic political confrontation now unfolding, Kocharian said it was incumbent on the regime to avoid any administrative moves against Tsarukyan and to remain within the parameters of oral debate.

“The plans broached by the ruling regime during the council session of the Republican Party are not consistent with Armenia’s constitution and merely serve to push the BHK and the opposition to organize mass street actions whose consequences cannot be foreseen,” said Kocharian.

Armenia’s second president warned that arrests and repressive measures would lead the country, already facing serious problems, into a deep and long-term crisis.