Vazgen Sargsyan
| Vazgen Sargsyan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 12th Prime Minister of Armenia | |
|
In office 11 June 1999 – 27 October 1999 |
|
| President | Robert Kocharyan |
| Preceded by | Armen Darbinyan |
| Succeeded by | Aram Sargsyan |
| Defence Minister of Armenia | |
|
In office 25 July 1995 – 11 June 1999 |
|
| President |
Levon Ter-Petrosyan Robert Kocharyan |
| Preceded by | Serzh Sargsyan |
| Succeeded by | Vagharshak Harutiunyan |
|
In office 5 December 1991 – 20 October 1992 |
|
| President | Levon Ter-Petrosyan |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Vazgen Manukyan |
| Leader of the Republican Party | |
|
In office 1998–1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Ashot Navasardyan |
| Succeeded by | Andranik Margaryan |
| State Minister on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs | |
|
In office July 1993 – 25 July 1995 |
|
| President | Levon Ter-Petrosyan |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Serzh Sargsyan |
| Presidential Adviser on Defence Affairs | |
|
In office 20 October 1992 – 5 March 1993 |
|
| President | Levon Ter-Petrosyan |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Vazgen Manukyan |
| Head of the Supreme Council Commission on Defence and Internal Affairs | |
|
In office June 1990 – 5 December 1991 |
|
| President | Levon Ter-Petrosyan |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 March 1959 Ararat, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 27 October 1999 (aged 40) Yerevan, Armenia |
| Resting place | Yerablur |
| Political party | Republican Party of Armenia |
| Relations | Aram Sargsyan (brother) |
| Alma mater | Yerevan Institute of Physical Culture |
| Occupation | Politician Military commander Teacher Writer |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic |
| Awards |
National Hero of Armenia Hero of Artsakh |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Sparapet |
| Service/branch |
 Armed Forces of ArmeniaArmenian militia |
| Years of service | 1989–94 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Nagorno-Karabakh War |
Vazgen Sargsyan (Armenian: Վազգեն Սարգսյան, pronounced [vɑzˈɡɛn sɑɾkʰsˈjɑn]; 5 March 1959 – 27 October 1999) was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was the first Defence Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992 and then from 1995 to 1999. He served as Armenia's Prime Minister from 11 June 1999 until his assassination on 27 October of that year. He rose to prominence during the mass movement for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia in the late 1980s and led Armenian volunteer groups during the early clashes with Azerbaijani forces. Appointed Defence Minister by President Levon Ter-Petrosyan soon after Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union in late 1991, Sargsyan became the most prominent commander of Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. In different positions, he regulated the military operations in the war area until 1994, when a ceasefire was reached ending the war with the de facto unification of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with Armenia.
In the post-war years, Sargsyan tightened his grip on the Armed Forces, establishing himself as a virtual strongman. After strongly supporting Ter-Petrosyan to retain power, he forced the president out of office in 1998 due to his support for concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement negotiations, and helped Prime Minister Robert Kocharyan to be elected president. With their relations deteriorated, Sargsyan merged the influential war veterans group Yerkrapah into the Republican Party and joined forces with Armenia's ex-communist leader Karen Demirchyan. In the May 1999 elections, their reform-minded alliance secured a comfortable majority in the National Assembly. Sargsyan became prime minister, emerging as the de facto decision-maker in Armenia with effective control of the military and the legislature.
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