Armenia’s main opposition has mocked at Robert Kocharyan’s statement in which the ex-president said he would himself announce his comeback to politics if he decided to do so, and chided him for using language unbecoming of a former statesman.

Senior Armenian National Congress (ANC) member Arakel Semerjyan told ArmeniaNow on Friday that Kocharyan’s statement on that account in fact proves he’s panicking in the face of “an international criminal court in the Hague”.

(The Armenian opposition led by former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan holds Kocharyan responsible for the bloody dispersion of its post-election street protests in 2008 that left ten people dead and numerous injured. The administrations of Kocharyan and his successor Serzh Sargsyan have denied the accusations and insisted that force was used on March 1-2, 2008 to thwart an attempted coup d’etat).

In his statement disseminated through Mediamax agency on Thursday Kocharyan used strong terms and equally insulting language against the opposition. The ANC now believes that Kocharyan that way only proved as right the accusations leveled at him by Ter-Petrosyan during the latest public rally.

Speaking before thousands of his supporters in Yerevan on April 6, Ter-Petrosyan used foul language addressing Kocharyan, but apologized, ironically, for having to resort to “the classical Latin used by the top state officials”, because, as he said, “the authorities do not understand any other language, including the state language of Armenia.”

Even though Kocharyan has always stated that he is little concerned about the opinions held by the Ter-Petrosyan-led opposition, he has traditionally replied to the opposition leader’s statements in an equally stinging manner.

Kocharyan in his statement also flatly denied the opposition’s allegations that he met President Sargsyan for a private conversation during the latter’s visit to Paris, France, and there spoke about his intention to be elected president of Armenia for the third time.

The opposition also alleged that later, while visiting Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Kocharyan met and talked to the “heads of the criminal oligarchic system” urging them to work out a special action plan because Sargsyan would be deposed soon and Ter-Petrosyan would come to power and that, ostensibly, their wealth would be taken away from them.

Kocharyan replied: “By the way, the last time I was in Dubai was three years ago when I was paying an official visit. And as for Paris, I did not meet President Sargsyan in early March at all. The former president [Ter-Petrosyan], who lives off gossip, is simply ridiculous.”