Armenian parliament speaker to sue ex-president Kocharyan

Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan has announced plans to file a lawsuit against former president Robert Kocharyan over remarks he described as offensive.

The dispute stems from comments made by Kocharyan at a press conference, where he criticised Simonyan’s character and suggested that someone he described as unreliable would have been unfit for proper military service. Kocharyan made the remarks in response to Simonyan’s recent claims that the Armenian armed forces were in disarray during Kocharyan’s presidency, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media. 

In the same appearance, the former president also dismissed the parliament speaker’s statements more broadly, saying that Simonyan frequently made unreasonable claims and did not merit serious consideration.

Simonyan said the comments crossed a legal line and confirmed his intention to pursue the matter in court.

By Sabina Mammadli