Arayik Harutyunyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arayik Harutyunyan
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| Արայիկ Հարությունյան | |
Harutyunyan in 2020
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| 4th President of Artsakh | |
| In office 21 May 2020 – 1 September 2023 |
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| Prime Minister | Grigory Martirosyan Artak Beglaryan Ruben Vardanyan Gurgen Nersisyan Samvel Shahramanyan |
| Preceded by | Bako Sahakyan |
| Succeeded by | Davit Ishkhanyan (acting) Samvel Shahramanyan |
| 1st State Minister of Artsakh | |
| In office 25 September 2017 – 6 June 2018 |
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| President | Bako Sahakyan |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Grigory Martirosyan |
| 6th Prime Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic | |
| In office 14 September 2007 – 25 September 2017 |
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| President | Bako Sahakyan |
| Preceded by | Anushavan Danielyan |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 December 1973 Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Free Motherland |
| Spouse | Kristina Harutyunyan |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Artur Harutyunyan |
| Residences | Yerevan, Armenia |
| Alma mater | Yerevan State Institute of Economy Artsakh University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Republic of Artsakh |
| Branch/service |  Artsakh Defense Army |
| Years of service | 1992–1994 |
| Battles/wars | First Nagorno-Karabakh War |
Arayik Harutyunyan (born December 14, 1973) is an Armenian politician. He was the fourth president of the Republic of Artsakh from 2020 to 2023. The Republic of Artsakh was a state in a region called Nagorno-Karabakh that declared its independence but was not officially recognized by most countries.
Before becoming president, Harutyunyan served as the last Prime Minister of the region from 2007 to 2017. He led Artsakh during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War against Azerbaijan. During this war, Artsakh lost control over most of its territory. He resigned as president in September 2023.
In October 2023, he and other former leaders of Artsakh were detained by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan and taken to Baku.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Arayik Harutyunyan was born in 1973 in Stepanakert. At the time, this city was the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, which was part of the Azerbaijani SSR in the Soviet Union.
In 1990, he began studying at the Yerevan State Institute of Economy. Two years later, he joined the armed forces of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to fight in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. His older brother, Samvel, died in the war.
After the war, he continued his studies at Artsakh University and graduated with a degree in economics in 1995. He later completed more advanced studies there in 1998.
Career in Politics
Harutyunyan began his career in 1994 at the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Artsakh. In 1997, he moved to the private sector and worked at a bank until 2004.
In 2005, he helped create the Free Motherland political party. The party did well in the 2005 elections, winning 10 of the 33 seats in the National Assembly, which is like a parliament. Harutyunyan became the leader of his party in the assembly.
Prime Minister and State Minister
In 2007, President Bako Sahakyan appointed Harutyunyan as prime minister. In his first speech, he promised to improve the economy and fight problems like corruption.
In 2017, the government of Artsakh changed, and the job of prime minister was removed. Harutyunyan was then appointed to a new role called State Minister. He resigned from this position in June 2018 after protests in Stepanakert.
President of Artsakh
Harutyunyan won the 2020 Artsakhian general election and became the fourth president of Artsakh. He was sworn into office on May 21, 2020, in the city of Shusha. This decision angered officials in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
As president, he signed orders to make all college education in Artsakh free. He also announced plans to move the National Assembly from Stepanakert to Shusha.
The 2020 War
During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Harutyunyan led the region. He wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for Russia's support.
On November 9, 2020, he agreed to a ceasefire deal signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia to end the fighting. Harutyunyan later explained that without the agreement, "we would have lost all of Artsakh."
After the War
After the war, Harutyunyan encouraged the people of Artsakh to return home and said, "Artsakh will remain Armenian." He worked with the Russian peacekeeping forces that arrived in the region.
In December 2020, he announced that he would leave politics after new elections were held. He gave more power to the Security Council of Artsakh to make decisions about safety and security.
In December 2022, Azerbaijan began a blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia. This caused serious shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. Harutyunyan appointed Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan as state minister to help manage the crisis. However, Harutyunyan dismissed him in February 2023.
As the situation worsened, Harutyunyan declared Artsakh a "disaster zone" in July 2023. He asked for international help to protect the people living there.
Resignation and Detention
On August 31, 2023, Harutyunyan announced he was resigning as president. He said that his staying in office might be a problem for talks between Artsakh and Azerbaijan. He also felt that trust in him as a leader had gone down after the 2020 war. His resignation became official on September 1.
On October 3, 2023, after Azerbaijan took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, Harutyunyan was detained by Azerbaijan's State Security Service. Other former leaders of Artsakh were also detained and taken to Baku.
In January 2025, Harutyunyan and 15 other Armenian officials went on trial in Azerbaijan. The trial is for their actions while they were leaders of the Republic of Artsakh.
Honours and Awards
- Medal "For the Liberation of Shushi" (2003)
- Order of the Combat Cross, second degree
- Order of Grigor Lusavorich (2016)
See also
In Spanish: Arayik Harutyunián para niños
