Kocharyan's office slams travel ban

Armenian authorities prevented former President Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the opposition Hayastan alliance, from leaving the country on Sunday, after he was stopped at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport while attempting to depart on a previously planned private trip.

Bagrat Mikoyan, head of Kocharyan’s office, said he was barred from leaving Armenia despite advance notice that he would be traveling abroad for three days on personal matters.

“President Kocharyan’s departure from the country was blocked without legal grounds and any explanation,” Mikoyan said in a statement.

Mikoyan lambasted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government over the incident, alleging political motivations behind the decision and rejecting any suggestion that Kocharyan intended to avoid legal or political scrutiny by traveling abroad.

Earlier in the day, Kocharyan’s office announced that the former president would be leaving Armenia on a three-day private visit. The trip had been planned for some time but was postponed because of a demanding election-related schedule, the statement said.

The office noted that it does not typically disclose details of Kocharyan’s personal travel in advance. However, it said the announcement was made in light of recent false claims by government officials regarding overseas trips by opposition figures.

Shortly afterward, reports emerged that law enforcement authorities had prevented Kocharyan from departing the country at Zvartnots Airport.