Suren Papikyan | |
|---|---|
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| Minister of Defense of Armenia | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2021 | |
| President | Armen Sarkissian |
| Prime Minister | Nikol Pashinyan |
| Preceded by | Arshak Karapetyan |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia | |
| In office August 2, 2021 – November 15, 2021 Serving with Mher Grigoryan | |
| President | Armen Sarkissian |
| Prime Minister | Nikol Pashinyan |
| Preceded by | Tigran Avinyan |
| Succeeded by | Hambardzum Matevosyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 26, 1986 Stepanavan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Civil Contract Party |
| Alma mater | Yerevan State University Saint Petersburg State University |
Suren Rafiki Papikyan (Armenian: Սուրեն Ռաֆիկի Պապիկյան; born April 26, 1986) is an Armenian politician currently serving as the Minister of Defense of Armenia. He formerly served as Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure and briefy as Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia. He is also chairman of the ruling Civil Contract Party.
Biography
editSuren Papikyan was born on April 26, 1986 in the town of Stepanavan. He graduated from Stepanavan College No. 1 and was accepted to the Faculty of History of Yerevan State University in 2003. Papikyan was called up for service in the Armenian Armed Forces while attending university.[1] While serving in the military, Papikyan was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment, reportedly due to an incident with a commanding officer, but was released about a year later due to a general amnesty.[2]
Papikyan received his master's degree in history with honors from Yerevan State University in 2012.[1] Parallel to his studies, he worked as a history teacher at Yerevan High School No. 54 from 2010 to 2016 and from 2011 to 2018 at Quantum College. From 2012 to 2016 he conducted his postgraduate studies at Saint Petersburg State University.[1]
Papikyan is a founding member of the Civil Contract Party.[1] He was elected deputy chairman of its executive council in 2016 and chairman in 2019.[1]
Papikyan participated in the 2017 Armenian parliamentary elections as a candidate for the Way Out Alliance. Papikyan participated in the 2018 Armenian revolution which brought Nikol Pashinyan to power.[1]
On May 11, 2018, Papikyan was appointed Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of Armenia in Nikol Pashinyan's first government.
During the 2018 snap parliamentary elections, he headed the campaign headquarters of the My Step bloc and was elected to parliament as a member of the same bloc. Papikyan resigned from parliament in January 2019. He was appointed Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure on June 1, 2019.
After briefly occupying the position of deputy prime minister, Papikyan was appointed Minister of Defense of Armenia on November 15, 2021. The day after his appointment, significant clashes occurred on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, resulting in human and territorial losses for the Armenian side.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Suren Papikyan - Curriculum Vitae". www.gov.am. The Government of the Republic of Armenia. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Danielyan, Anahit (February 26, 2020). "Պապիկյանը պնդում է, որ իր խնդիրը ոչ թե լրագրողի հետ է, այլ տեղեկությունը լրագրողին հասցնողի" [Papikyan insists that he has no problem with the journaist, but with the person who gave the journalist the information]. media.am. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dovich, Mark (November 17, 2021). "Ceasefire resumes on Armenia-Azerbaijan border after worst fighting in a year leaves 15 Armenian soldiers dead". civilnet.am. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
[[Category:Armenian politicians]] [[Category:Saint Petersburg State University alumni]] [[Category:Armenian historians]] [[Category:1986 births]] [[Category:Yerevan State University alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Defence ministers of Armenia]]