Robert Kocharyan President of Armenia Date of Birth: 31.08.1954 Country: Armenia

Biography of Robert Kocharyan

Robert Kocharyan, the former President of Armenia, is known for his decisive and principled political leadership. He completed his secondary education in Stepanakert and served in the Soviet Army from 1972 to 1974. In 1982, he graduated with honors from the Electrical Engineering Faculty of Yerevan Polytechnic Institute.

Kocharyan began his professional career in 1971 at the Stepanakert Electrotechnical Plant, initially working as a fitter-assembler and later as a mechanical engineer. From 1980, he held various positions in the Komsomol and party organs of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1989 and 1990, he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of Armenia and a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Council. In 1991, he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of Nagorno-Karabakh of the first convocation.

Since February 1988, Kocharyan has been one of the political leaders of the Artsakh Movement (Artsakh is the original Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh). He was a member of the "Krunk" Committee and later founded and led the organization "Miatsum" after its dissolution. In August 1992, when the Azerbaijani army captured half of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, Kocharyan was entrusted with the positions of Chairman of the State Defense Committee of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh with extraordinary powers.

On December 24, 1994, by the decision of the Supreme Council of Nagorno-Karabakh, and in November 1996, through nationwide elections, Robert Kocharyan was elected President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. In this position, he made every effort to find a fair solution to the Artsakh issue, guided by the aspirations of the people and the principles of ensuring their security. Thanks to Kocharyan's efforts, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic became a participant in the OSCE peace process as an independent party to the conflict. He was the first representative of Nagorno-Karabakh in international negotiations.

Over time, Kocharyan, becoming one of the most influential figures in Armenian political life, came to be perceived in Armenia, Artsakh, and the diaspora as a symbol of our common struggle and unity. Since March 1997, Kocharyan has been the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. In this position, he has undertaken extensive activities to enhance the socio-economic policies of the Government. The main task of the government has been the creation of new jobs and the reduction of unemployment. By stimulating domestic producers, the Government has significantly eased the tax burden for the first time. There has also been an increase in efforts to attract foreign investments, which has resulted in almost doubling the amount of foreign investment in the country's economy.

While being heavily involved in the socio-economic development of the Republic, Robert Kocharyan managed to establish constructive relationships with political parties and movements in Armenia. He is known as a decisive and principled political leader overseas. On March 30, 1998, Robert Kocharyan was elected President of the Republic of Armenia.

He is fluent in Russian and English and is married with three children.