Armenian President signed the decree on appointing Vigen Sargsyan the Minister of Defense of Armenia. This issue of Key section tells about Vigen Sargsyan.

1. What do we know about Vigen Sargsyan?

Vigen Sargsyan was born in Yerevan in 1975, in a family of medics.

In 1996, he graduated from distance learning department of Saint Petersburg State University of Management, the specialty of “Staff Management”. In 1997 – from Yerevan State University, the faculty of International Relations, and in 2000, he received a Master’s Degree in Law and Diplomacy from Fletcher Diplomacy School of Tufts University (USA).

In 1995-1998, Vigen Sargsyan worked as the Assistant and Councilor to the Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia.

In 2000-2003, he served in Armenian Armed Forces occupying the position of Assistant to Defense Minister.

In 2003, he was appointed Assistant to the Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.

In January 2009, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on appointing Vigen Sargsyan Deputy Head of the President’s staff.

In October 2011 Vigen Sargsyan was appointed Head of the President’s staff.

He is married and has three daughters.

2. What did Vigen Sargsyan say about security threats?

In December 2015, Vigen Sargsyan said that ensuring Artsakh’s and Armenia’s security “will require super efforts”.

He noted that the issue is not only about human but also material resources, noticing that Armenian side will have to allocate significant funds for military expenses.

“The alternative can be much worse,” Vigen Sargsyan said during R-Evolution program on Armenia TV.

He stressed, “People in Artsakh are ready for a fierce fight” for their independence and highlighted that no solution can be imposed on the Armenian sides.

Talking about the prospect of conflict settlement, Vigen Sargsyan quoted late Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir:

“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us”.

3. What did Vigen Sargsyan say about state-building?

In April 2015, Vigen Sargsyan said that 25 years is not a long period for the state-building.

“We all want the state to change for the better in our days and by our hands, but 25 years are not even a blink of eye in state-building. If you cast a look on the 70 years of Soviet Armenia, you will see that the main systematic changes took place thanks to decades of work. This doesn’t mean that we should sit idly, but we shouldn’t underrate our achievements as well,” Vigen Sargsyan told during the AGBU talks.

4. What did Vigen Sargsyan say about career?

In July 2014, Vigen Sargsyan said at the meeting with the students of “Luys” Foundation:

“It is of principle importance for you to decide, what you want when starting your professional life. And what you really want, as young, ambitious and educated people is to make a difference. Because no one will judge you by the amount of vacations you have spent in nice places, no one will judge you by the type of house you live in and no one will judge you by the quality of clothes you wear. Everyone will be remembering you by the difference you made. And that's why Armenia is a country of opportunity. Being in a time of transition and in a time of change there is a big opportunity to contribute and to do things.”

5. What can be considered Vigen Sargsyan’s biggest achievement of late?

In 2015, Vigen Sargsyan was the coordinator of the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, and his idea was to build the spirit of the events on four cornerstones: remembrance, gratitude, international struggle, and rebirth. It was Vigen Sargsyan’s idea to organize the System of a Down concert on April 23 in Yerevan, which became a turning point for many to view the subject of the Genocide in a new way.