Robert Kocharian, 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.
