Kocharyan replaces Ter-Petrosyan as President of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan’s replacement of Levon Ter-Petrosyan as Armenia’s president in 1998 after elite rejection of a phased Karabakh compromise. The transition anchored Armenia’s harder Karabakh line and the political order that lasted until 2018.
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Russian
Account
Background
President Levon Ter-Petrosyan argued in 1997 that Armenia should accept a phased compromise on Karabakh, warning that time was not automatically on Armenia's side. Key ministers, including Robert Kocharyan and Vazgen Sargsyan, rejected the approach.
Transition
Ter-Petrosyan resigned in February 1998. Kocharyan, formerly leader of Karabakh and then Armenia's prime minister, won the presidency. His rise brought the Karabakh leadership network into the centre of Armenian state power.
Meaning
The transition fixed a strategic bet: Armenia could preserve the 1994 position without accepting near-term territorial compromise. For a time, that seemed plausible. The line held, and negotiations produced no imposed settlement. But the long-term balance shifted as Azerbaijan's oil revenues and military capacity grew editorial.
Kocharyan's presidency is therefore central to debates over responsibility for the later catastrophe. Supporters argue that he defended victory and state security. Critics argue that his era normalised corruption, democratic rollback and strategic delay contested. Both readings are necessary to understand why the Velvet Revolution later carried such force.