Serzh Sargsyan was appointed new Prime Minister of Armenia

By decree of the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, the acting Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan was appointed Prime Minister of the republic. At the same time, Sargsyan was dismissed from the post of acting Minister of Defense and Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, reports Interfax.

The post of head of government remained vacant since March 25, when the chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia Andranik Margaryan, who served as the prime minister from May 12, 2000,died suddenly .

On March 26, the president, in accordance with the Constitution of the country, accepted the resignation of the government , simultaneously instructing the ministers to continue the performance of duties before the formation of a new office. According to the Constitution, the government is formed within 20 days after the appointment of the prime minister.

Serge Sargsyan is the head of the Republican Party of Armenia, beyond which, according to an agreement reached between the parliamentary majority, the right to appoint the Prime Minister after the death of Andranik Margaryan was left. The next parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on May 12.

Sargsyan was born on June 30, 1954 in the city of Stepanakert. In 1979 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Yerevan State University. In 1975-1979 he worked as a turner at the Yerevan Electrotechnical Plant. In 1972-1974, Sargsyan served in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1989-1993, he headed the Committee for Self-Defense forces of Nagorno-Karabakh, and in 1990 he was elected deputy of the Supreme Council of RA. Earlier, Sargsyan held posts of the Minister of National Security of Armenia (1999), the Minister of Internal Affairs and National Security of the RA (1996-1999) and the head of the State Security Department of the RA (1995-1996). In 1999, he worked as the Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Armenia. In 2000, he headed the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

According to many experts, Sargsyan is the most likely presidential candidate of Armenia following the results of the presidential election that will be held in the republic in 2008.