Who Among Officials Served in the Army and Who Did Not

Armlur.am has investigated which current officials have served in the military and which have not.

Here are the findings:

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, did not serve in the army. From 1991 to 1995, he studied at Yerevan State University but was expelled in his fifth year for political reasons.

The Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan also did not serve in the army. He graduated from the Russian-Armenian University (Slavonic University) Faculty of Applied Mathematics in 2009 with a bachelor's degree, and in 2011 he earned a master's degree in mathematical modeling in economics. He finished with honors from Queen Mary University of London in 2014, receiving a master's degree in finance.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan studied at Moscow State University from 1989 to 1991 in the Faculty of Law and graduated from Yerevan State University Faculty of Law in 1994, obtaining a qualification as a lawyer. Additionally, from 1997 to 1998, he completed a six-month qualification course at the Business School of the University of Leeds in Great Britain. He is a reserve officer and lectures at the Institute of Economics and Business of the Armenian-Russian University.

Minister of Defense David Tonoyan served in the Soviet Armed Forces from 1986 to 1988 and has been serving in the Armenian Armed Forces since 1992. He served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia from 1992 to 1994 and transitioned to military service within the Ministry of Defense as head of a department. He has been awarded various medals for his services to the homeland.

Minister of Justice Artak Zeynalanyan served in the Soviet Army from 1987 to 1989. It is noteworthy that the Minister of Justice is a trained surgeon, graduating from the Yerevan State Medical University in 1996.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan served in the Soviet Army from 1984 to 1986. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1990 and from the University of Manchester in 1991.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan also served in the army. He studied at school in Berd village, Lori region, and after completing the first school in Stepanavan, he was drafted during his studies at YSU's Faculty of History.

Minister of Nature Protection Erik Grigoryan served in the Armenian Armed Forces from 2000 to 2002. He is the author of several publications and scientific articles.

Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technology Hakob Arshakyan served from 2003 to 2005 in the Armenian Armed Forces. Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan served in the Armenian Armed Forces for one year from 2015 to 2016.

Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan is a military reservist and holds the rank of lieutenant general.

Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan is also a reservist and holds the rank of captain.

Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan did not serve in the military. He studied at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at YSU from 1996 to 2003 and obtained a master's degree in Arabic studies.

National Assembly Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan did not serve in the military. He graduated from YSU’s Faculty of History in 2000 and pursued further studies in state administration.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan served in the Armenian Armed Forces from 2000 to 2002.

Another Deputy Speaker Vahе Enfiajyan graduated from Yerevan Business School in 1992 and has a background in economics, having served from 1996 to 1998 in the armed forces.

Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the BBK faction, served in the Soviet Army from 1975 to 1977.

BBK faction secretary Arman Abovyan did not serve in the armed forces.

Edmon Marukyan, leader of the Bright Armenia faction, served in the army from 1999 to 2001.

Georgy Gorgisyan, secretary of the Bright Armenia faction, served in the Armenian Armed Forces from 2007 to 2009.