Vagharshak Harutiunyan Explained

Vagharshak Harutiunyan
Office1:Minister of Defence
Term Start1:20 November 2020
Term End1:3 August 2021
Predecessor1:David Tonoyan
Successor1:Arshak Karapetyan
Term Start2:11 June 1999
Term End2:20 May 2000
President2:Robert Kocharyan
Predecessor2:Vazgen Sargsyan
Successor2:Serzh Sargsyan
Office3:Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
Term Start3:1991
Term End3:1992
President3:Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Birth Date:1956 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Akhalkalaki, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Party:Hanrapetutyun Party
Alma Mater:Soviet Union General Staff Academy
Allegiance:
Armenia
Branch: Soviet Armed Forces
Armed Forces of Armenia
Serviceyears:1974-2002
2019–present
Rank:Lieutenant general
Battles:Soviet–Afghan War
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Primeminister1:Nikol Pashinyan
President1:Armen Sarkissian
Office:Ambassador of Armenia to Russia
Termstart:5 January 2022
Predecessor:Vardan Toghanyan
Native Name Lang:hy

Vagharshak Varnazi Harutiunyan (Armenian: Վաղարշակ Վառնազի Հարությունյան; born 28 April 1956) is an Armenian military figure and politician currently serving as Armenia's ambassador to Russia. He previously served as the Defence Minister of Armenia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2020 to 2021.

Early life

Harutiunyan was born in Akhalkalaki, Georgian SSR (now Georgia), a region with a large Armenian population.

Military career

Soviet Army and CIS service

He graduated from the Caspian Higher Naval School in 1978. From 1978 to 1989, he fought in the Soviet–Afghan War. Harutiunyan than graduated from the Grechko Naval Academy and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He switched allegiance to Armenia prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. Harutiunyan was named Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Defence Committee of Armenia in 1991, in the middle of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 1992, he became the Deputy Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Harutiunyan was chosen as the representative of the Armenian Armed Forces at the CIS in 1994.

First term as defence minister (1999–2000)

In 1999, Harutiunyan returned to Armenia to replace Vazgen Sargsyan as Defence Minister of Armenia on 11 June 1999 after Sargsyan was elected Prime Minister.[1] Harutiunyan joined Sargsyan and Head of the Government Staff Shahen Karamanukyan in the meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) heads of government in Yalta, Ukraine on 7 October 1999.[2] In February 2000, he discussed a plan for cooperation between Armenia and Belarus with his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Petrovich Chumakov during his visit to Minsk to discuss Armenian use of Belarusian military plants for upgrading Armenian military equipment.[3] He left the post of defence minister on 20 May 2000. On 22 July 2002, Harutiunyan was stripped of his military rank of lieutenant general by order of President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.

Career (2000-2020)

On 23 July 2002, Harutiunyan joined the opposition Hanrapetutyun Party, led by Aram Sargsyan, the brother of Vazgen Sargsyan. In 2005, together with Albert Bazeyan, he founded the National Revival Party.[4] In 2007 the party ceased its activities and merged with the Ramkavar Azatakan Party,[5] [6] although Harutyunyan opposed this.[7] In 2016, there were rumors about his possible appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.[8] In 2019, his military rank of lieutenant general was restored.[9] [10] In August 2020, he was appointed Chief Military Advisor to the Prime Minister of Armenia.[11] [12]

Second term as defence minister (2020-2021)

Harutiunyan was appointed as defence minister by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Armen Sarksyan[13] on 20 November 2020, following the resignation of David Tonoyan.[14] His appointment were among a number of changes in the Second Pashinyan government following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. In his appointment ceremony, he thanked the Prime Minister for his confidence, stating he hopes his leadership will "preserve the positive we had in the Army" and "assess the objective and subjective reasons within a short period of time and submit a new package of reforms".[15] The day after his appointment, he met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, where they discussed the Russian peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh.[16] [17]

Awards

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. News: President Prime Minister Introduce New Ministers. 28 October 2013. Asbarez. 17 June 1999.
  2. News: Prime Minister Leaves for Yalta to Attend CIS Summit. 28 October 2013. Asbarez. 7 October 1999.
  3. News: Armenia signs Military Agreements with Belarus. 14 February 2000. The Monitor. 30 September 2017. The Jamestown Foundation. 31. 6.
  4. Web site: "НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЕ ВОЗРОЖДЕНИЕ" АЛЬБЕРТА БАЗЕЯНА И ВАГАРШАКА АРУТЮНЯНА.
  5. Web site: В Армении три партии объявили о своем слиянии в одну. Кавказский Узел. Кавказский Узел. 2020-08-19.
  6. Web site: Electronic Register, Government of Armenia. www.e-register.am. 2020-08-19.
  7. Web site: Арутюнян: "Национальное возрождение" в Армении не хочет слияния с ПРАА. Кавказский Узел. Кавказский Узел. 2020-08-19.
  8. Web site: Вагаршак Арутюнян о своем назначении генсеком ОДКБ.
  9. Web site: 2019-08-24 . Вагаршаку Арутюняну возвращено воинское звание генерал-лейтенанта, указ Кочаряна аннулирован . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220928043708/https://www.aravot-ru.am/2019/08/24/310769/ . 2022-09-28 . 2022-09-27 . . ru.
  10. Web site: Указом президента РА Вагаршак Арутюнян восстановлен в воинском звани. 22 August 2019.
  11. Web site: Armenian president dismisses defense minister.
  12. Web site: Pashinyan appoints his chief advisor as new Defense Minister. 2020-11-22. armenpress.am. en.
  13. Web site: Vagharshak Harutyunyan was appointed Minister of Defence. 2020-11-21. mil.am. en.
  14. Web site: MD RA - Vagharshak Harutyunyan. 2020-11-21. mil.am. en.
  15. Web site: PM introduces newly appointed Minister of Defense 21.11.2020. 2020-11-21. mil.am. en.
  16. Web site: Armenian, Russian Defense Ministers Discuss Peacekeepers in Karabakh. 2020-11-22. Hetq.am. en.
  17. Web site: Yerevan, Moscow Sign Documents Regulating Peacekeepers In Karabakh - Defense Ministry. 2020-11-22. UrduPoint. en.