March 5 marks Commander Vazgen Sargsyan’s birth anniversary

PanARMENIAN.Net - March 5 marks the 54th birth anniversary of famed Armenian military commander Vazgen Sargsyan.

Vazgen Sargsyan was born in Ararat, Armenian SSR on March 5, 1959. He graduated from Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1979 before working as a physical instruction teacher in a village school in Ararat. From 1983 to 1986 he was the Communist Youth League leader at the cement factory in Ararat. An amateur writer, Sargsyan then moved into literary life. From 1986 to 1989 he headed the publicity department of the Garun (Spring) literary monthly in Yerevan. But the Armenian national ferment of the late 1980s saw him abandon this role as he flung himself headlong into political life.

In 1992 Sargsyan organized and led the "Mahapartner" special battalion during the Nagorno Karabakh liberation struggle. In 1992-1993 and 1995-1999 he was the Defense Minister of Armenia, in 1993-1995 he served as the Minister of Defense. After the 1999 parliamentary election, Sargsyan and Armenia's former Communist leader Karen Demirchyan formed a coalition and won a majority, after which Sargsyan became the Prime Minister of Armenia, but few months later both politicians, along with several others, were assassinated during the Armenian parliament shooting.

Sargsyan was awarded by Hero of Artsakh and National Hero of Armenia titles.