It Would Be Better If He Discusses the Reasons: Arman Sargsyan on Kocharian's Dismissal

Hovhannes Kocharian has submitted a voluntary resignation request from his position as Deputy Chief of Police. This was stated by Arman Sargsyan, the Acting Chief of Police of Armenia, in an interview with NEWS.am while commenting on Kocharian's dismissal. Sargsyan noted that he had discussed the reasons for Kocharian's resignation with him but declined to provide details.

When asked if he found Kocharian's dismissal acceptable, Sargsyan responded, "It would be better if he discussed the reasons himself; perhaps he has more substantial reasons." Regarding the question of whether he had tried to convince him not to submit his resignation, the acting police chief said, "If I had persuaded him or not, it wouldn't change anything; if a person has made a decision, it means he has made a decision."

Arman Sargsyan nonetheless acknowledged that Kocharian, who has stepped away from the system, was a professional staff member. "Hovhannes Kocharian is a good lawyer," he stated.

It is noteworthy that Hovhannes Kocharian submitted his resignation request yesterday, October 23, which has already been signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He was appointed as Deputy Chief of Police on May 18, 2018. One day before submitting his resignation, Hovhannes Kocharian announced that he was against politicizing the position of Chief of Police.

"The opinion of the police does not coincide with that of the authors of the project. We have our opinion regarding the organization and operation of the police, and after the publication of the strategy program, everyone will be able to familiarize themselves with it. In it, we have elaborated in detail how we envision the structure of the Police and how we imagine the mechanisms of political oversight over it," Kocharian had stated.

According to him, the project is conditioned by political expediency, which offers situational solutions.