Armenian President Sarkissian became the first head of this state to be elected by parliament, not by popular vote. He assumed this position in April 2018, before that he was known as a physicist and diplomat. It is known that after being elected head of state, he refused his salary in full, donating this money to charity.
Childhood and youth
The current President of Armenia Sargsyan was born in Yerevan in 1953. He received his higher education at the Faculty of Physics of the local state university. Later, he defended his dissertation there, became the owner of the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences and remained to work at the department. His work was devoted to relativistic astrophysics.
Armen Sargsyan was at the origins of the formation of the department of computer modeling for the needs of theoretical physics at Yerevan State University. He was directly involved in this work. According to some reports, he even participated in the developmentpopular game "Tetris" together with programmer Alexey Pajitnov.
Scientific career
In the early 80s, Armen Sargsyan went abroad. For two years he has been teaching at one of the British universities, only after that he returns to his homeland. In Armenia, the hero of this article receives the position of professor, heads the department of computer modeling and complex technologies, which works on the basis of Yerevan State University.
After that, he once again responded to the proposal of the British to teach. This time he worked for some time at the Institute of Mathematics at the University of London.
In 1999, Sargsyan received the mantle of an honorary doctor from the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
Diplomatic work
After gaining independence by Armenia, Sargsyan goes to serve in the diplomatic mission. In 1992, he became the head of the Armenian Embassy in the UK. Then he represents his state in NATO, the European Union, the Vatican and the Benelux countries.
Political activities
Politics in the biography of the President of Armenia appeared in 1996, when the new President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, elected for a second term, offered the hero of this article to head the government.
Sarkisyan accepted the offer, set to work with zeal, but in less than a year he was forced to resign for he alth reasons. He was diagnosed with a tumor. He decided to take time for his he alth thoughat the time, few believed that the resignation was really about it.
It is worth noting that as head of the Cabinet of Ministers, Sargsyan first of all sought to make Armenia a holding power. He negotiated the opening of offices and representative offices of the largest transnational corporations in the country. At the same time, he pinned special hopes on influential countrymen living abroad.
Since 1998, Sargsyan returns to active work, having coped with the disease. However, again in diplomatic status. He is again trusted to represent the interests of Armenia in the UK. The hero of this article receives the rank of a special and plenipotentiary ambassador. He works in London for the next two years, and then decides to devote himself to business development.
To do this, Sargsyan leaves the civil service to organize a company called Eurasia House International. He remains its immediate supervisor until 2015.
At the same time, in 2002, he received a second citizenship, becoming a citizen of Great Britain. The current president of Armenia abandoned him nine years later.
Business structures
After staying in the highest diplomatic circles and power corridors, Sargsyan found himself in demand in business. He is a member of the board of directors of several large corporations, chairs the East-West Institute, is directly involved in the organization of the Global Council on Energy Security and the Eurasian Media Forum in Astana, which are held as part of the World Economicforum.
At the same time, Armen Sargsyan's career is actively developing, he uses his knowledge and connections to advise large companies around the world. In particular, influential businessmen from the UK, France and Spain turn to him for help. It is Sargsyan who becomes one of the intermediaries in the British purchase of the Russian oil company TNK.
Presidential Candidate
In 2013, the hero of the article again heads the Armenian Embassy in London. He remains in this post until March 2018, when the ruling party nominates him as the only candidate for the presidency of Armenia.
It is worth noting that the election of Sargsyan as president was preceded by a government crisis. In April, mass protests began among citizens dissatisfied with the election of Serzh Sargsyan to the post of prime minister, formerly the president. Many Armenians claimed that they supported the transition to a parliamentary form of government in order not to see Sargsyan as the head of state anymore. The same again managed to take the most influential post in power.
The organizer of the protests was Nikol Pashinyan, a member of the National Assembly, a journalist and a member of the Elk political bloc.
Against the backdrop of protracted rallies and protests, Sargsyan delivered an address to the nation, in which he expressed regret at the unwillingness of the opposition to enter into a dialogue with Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. He also announced the start of negotiations with extra-parliamentary forces and deputies.
BAs a result, Serzh Sargsyan was forced to resign as prime minister. At the same time, he tried to maintain political influence, remaining the leader of the Republican Party of Armenia. But at the end of April, it became known that Serzh Sargsyan was leaving the post of leader of the Republicans.
Inauguration
The parliament supports the candidacy of Sargsyan, the presidential elections in Armenia are held on March 2, 2018. He becomes the successor to Serzh Sargsyan, who has led the country since 2008.
The inauguration takes place in about a month at the sports and concert complex named after Karen Demirchyan. It is attended by more than one thousand people. Sargsyan was congratulated by many leaders of the leading world powers, including Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who had warm relations with him during his diplomatic work in Foggy Albion.
Activities as President
Today, Armenian President Sarkissian called the main task in his post all the necessary conditions for the adaptation of the citizens of Armenia in the modern world, so that they are ready for the challenges of our time.
To do this, it is planned to organize the attraction of significant investments in science, education and culture of the country. Sargsyan intends to work to ensure that Armenia becomes attractive for investors and the development of advanced technologies by the state.
At the same time, the president will have to solve many acute and painful problems that have been dragging on for more than one year. In particular, speechis about the Karabakh conflict.
The very next day after his inauguration, he made his first official visit as president, visiting Moscow.
Private life
Quite a lot is known about the family of Armen Vardanovich Sargsyan. He has known his wife Nune since the school where they studied together. Then they ended up at the same university, only the girl specialized in studying foreign languages.
They had two children - sons Vartan and Hayk. It is known that Vartan became an entrepreneur in the field of IT technologies, in particular, he oversees one of his father's subsidiaries. In total, the holding, to which Vartan Sargsyan is related, includes 15 enterprises operating in the field of telecommunications and high technologies, gas and oil industries, and multimedia. The company is represented in a large number of countries from China to Western Europe.
The current head of state's wife currently writes books for children and also oversees the "Yerevan - My Love" charity foundation, owned by her family. This organization specializes in the restoration of abandoned buildings of architectural and historical significance. They are being turned into social, music and sports centers for underprivileged children so that they can develop their talents for free.
Until recently, the whole family lived in London, where charity evenings and fundraising events were often held. According to British media, in Nune's houseSarkisian in Chelsea has a large collection of exclusive furniture produced by David Linley, son of Princess Margaret.
