The potential of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) was formed as far back Soviet times. It was strengthened during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, Galust Sahakyan, Chairman of the RPA parliamentary faction, told journalists, commenting on the ex-president Robert Kocharyan`s statement that the RPA was strengthened under his presidency.

According to Rustamyan, the RPA has been making important political decisions, without committing a single error. "It was in cooperation with the RPA that the second president`s programs were possible to implement," Sahakyan said. He pointed out Robert Kocharyan`s contribution to the progress made during his presidency. Also, the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan has proved he is a national leader. "That is why Serzh Sargsyan`s political rating is higher than that of the Republican Party chaired by him," Sahakyan said.

As regards the possibility of Robert Kocharyan`s participation in the 2013 presidential election, Sahakyan said that it is the right each Armenian citizen enjoys. As to Robert Kocharyan`s influence in the Armenian political arena, he said: "Every political figure known by the public has influence on process, especially Robert Kocharyan."