Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia
Serzh A. Sargsyan was born on June 30, 1954 in the City of Stepanakert, where he completed the secondary school. In 1971, he was admitted to Yerevan State University. During 1972-1974, he served in the USSR armed force. In 1979, he graduated from the Philological Department of Yerevan State University.
Serzh Sargsyan started his career in 1975 at the Electrical Devices Factory, where he worked as a metal turner until 1979.
From 1979 to 1988, Serzh Sargsyan was first a Division Head at the Stepanakert City Communist Party Youth Association Committee, then—second secretary, first secretary, the Stepanakert City Committee Propaganda Division Head, the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee Communist Organizations’ Unit Instructor, and Assistant to Genrikh Poghosyan, the First Secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee.
From 1989 to 1993, Serzh Sargsyan led the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Self-Defense Forces Committee.
In 1990, Serzh Sargsyan was elected as a deputy to the Supreme Council of Armenia.
From 1993 to 1995, he was the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
From 1995 to 1996, he was the Head of the Republic of Armenia State Security Department and, later, the Minister of National Security.
From 1996 to 1999, he was the Republic of Armenia Minister of Interior and National Security.
In 1999, he was the Republic of Armenia Minister of National Security.
From 1999 to 2000, he was the Chief of Staff of the Republic of Armenia President.
From 1999 to 2007, he was the Secretary of the Republic of Armenia National Security Council led by the President.
From 2000 to 2007, he was the Republic of Armenia Minister of Defense.
On April 4, 2007, Serzh Sargsyan was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
On June 7, 2007, he was re-appointed as the Prime Minister, taking charge of the Government formed after the National Assembly elections.
Serzh Sargsyan was elected President of the Republic of Armenia in the Presidential elections of February 19, 2008,
The inauguration of the President-elect took place on April 9, 2008.
Serzh Sargsyan is a member of the Republican Party of Armenia since 2006. From July 2006 to November 2007, he was the Chairman of the Party Council. In November 2007, Serzh Sargsyan was elected as the RPA Chairman.
Serzh Sargsyan is the Chairman of the Yerevan State University Board of Trustees and the Chairman of the Chess Federation of Armenia.
Serzh Sargsyan has been conferred the Hero of Artsakh title, the Republic of Armenia "Battle Cross" highest award, "Tigran Mets" and "Golden Eagle" medals, and other state awards.
Serzh Sargsyan was married in 1983. His wife — Rita Sargsyan, was born in Stepanakert, in a military family. She is a music teacher by profession.
Serzh Sargsyan has two daughters — Anush and Satenik, and one granddaughter — Mariam.
Robert Kocharian, Former President of Armenia
Robert Kocharian was born on August 31, 1954, in Stepanakert. He received his secondary education in Stepanakert. He served in the Soviet Army in 1972-74. In 1982, Robert Kocharian graduated from Yerevan Polytechnic Institute’s Electro-Technical Department with honors.
Robert Kocharian started his professional career at Stepanakert’s electro-technical plant in 1971. Having started as a turner, he was later promoted to the post of mechanical engineer. He occupied various posts in Nagorno Karabakh’s youth communist and communist organs from 1980s. In 1989 and the 1990s he was a deputy of Armenia’s Supreme Soviet and member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. In 1991, Kocharian was elected a deputy of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s Supreme Soviet of the first convocation.
From February 1988, Kocharian was one of the political leaders of the Karabakh movement. He was a member of the Krunk organization. After the organization was dissolved, he founded and headed the Miatsum [Unification] organization. He was one of the first to assume the responsibility of creating Nagorno Karabakh’s security and defense structure.
In August 1992, when the Azeri army had occupied half of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s territory, Robert Kocharian became Chairman of the State Defense Committee and Prime Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The strong will to mobilize all forces and to liberate Artsakh made it possible to shift the course of the military action within a short period of time.
On December 24, 1994, Robert Kocharian was elected President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic by the decision of the NKR Supreme Soviet. In November 1998, he once again became President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic by a popular vote.
On March 20, 1997, Robert Kocharian was appointed to the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
On March 30, 1998, Robert Kocharian was elected President of the Republic of Armenia in early presidential elections.
On March 5, 2003, Robert Kocharian was reelected to the post of the President of the Republic of Armenia.
Robert Kocharian speaks Russian and English.
He is married and has three children.
