President of the Republic of Armenia
"By Gevork Nazaryan"
Robert Kocharyan was born on August 31, 1954. He finished
the secondary school in Stepanakert.
In 1972-74 he served in the Soviet Army. In 1982 he graduated from the Yerevan Polytechnic
Institute as an engineer, and upon graduation, he started working in the Stepanakert
Electro-Technical Factory. From 1980 he had been occupying various positions in
Komsomol (Young Communists League) and Communist organizations. Since February
1989 he has been among the most active leaders of the Karabagh movement. As a key
leader of the self-determination movement of Nagorno-Karabagh. He associated with
Krunk (political organization), and in 1989, became one of the founders of the
Miatsum (Unification) non-governmental organization and served as Advisor to the
Chairman of the Executive Committee of Nagorno-Karabagh. In 1989, he was elected
deputy to the Soviet Supreme Council (Parliament) of the Republic of Armenia - the
Nagorno-Karabagh representative.
In 1989 and 1990 he was elected as a Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia. In 1991 he was elected as a Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Karabagh. In August 1992 Robert Kocharyan took the post of Chairman of the State
Committee of Defense and later was appointed Prime Minister of Karabagh. Under pressure
by the Azerbaijani military aggression, he organized the Nagorno-Karabagh self-defense
forces, thereby established defense and security infrastructures for Nagorno-Karabagh.
These defense forces achieved successive victories, securing the safety of the people
and the borders of Nagorno-Karabagh. In May of 1994, a cease-fire between Nagorno-Karabagh
and Azerbaijan was negotiated - that cease-fire continues today.
Under Kocharyan's leadership, Nagorno-Karabagh became a negotiating member of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for the settlement of the conflict.
He also became the first Karabagh representative to negotiate directly on behalf
of the people of Nagorno-Karabagh in international forums.
On December 24, 1994 following the decision of the National Assembly of Karabagh,
and by an overwhelming majority Robert Kocharyan was elected the first President
of Nagorno-Karabagh. Kocharyan's appeal that "a nation tested by the ordeals
of war must pass the test of peace" marked the beginning of a large-scale social
and economic rehabilitation of Nagorno-Karabagh.
In March 1997, Robert Kocharyan was appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of
Armenia. As Prime Minister, he tackled issues of corruption and intensified efforts
to institutionalize a free market economy.
On April 1998, Robert Kocharyan was elected the second president of the Republic
of Armenia. The Kocharyan administration is known for its visionary leadership to
integrate Armenia into the regional and global economy with its open door policy
for international investments and participation in regional programs, and its strong
position in pursuing a peaceful and lasting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
He is married to Bella Kocharyan and has three children.
www.padus-araxes.com.