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 Communist’s 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.
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