Leonard Petrosyan
Encyclopedia
Leonard Petrosyan Լեոնարդ Պետրոսյան (October 13, 1953 – October 27, 1999) was the second president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 for almost 6 months (20 March 1997 to 8 September 1997). He also served as Prime Minister of the Republic 1994-1997. He was killed in the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting
1999 Armenian parliament shooting
The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting was an attack on the Armenian parliament in the capital Yerevan on October 27, 1999 at 5:15 p.m, by a group of armed men that killed the Prime Minister of Armenia and 7 other high ranking officials.-Shooting:...

. He was serving as Deputy Prime Minister in the Republic of Armenia at the time.

Career

Leonard Petrosyan was born in Martuni
Martuni
Martuni is a province of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It consists of the branch of Nagorno-Karabakh which juts out farthest to the east, almost reaches Stepanakert on the west, and goes a little past Karmir Shuka on the south...

, Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...

 in 1953. After serving briefly in the ranks of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...

, he studied in 1974 at the Yerevan Cooperation Institute and later on at the Yerevan Institute of National Economy. From 1975 until 1990, he worked in the system of common nutrition in an agricultural center run by the Martuni regional community of the Communist Party, a position he kept until 1990.

He was active during the "Artsakh movement" campaign for autonomy and independence and in 1991 became the deputy chairman of Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee and appointed chairman of the regional council.

In 1992, he became the first deputy head of the department of special programs of Republic of Armenia. In 1994, he was chosen as the Prime Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic under the presidency of Robert Kocharyan, the first-ever President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...

.

After serving for three years as Prime Minister, Leonard Petrosyan took over the presidency of the republic from the incumbent Robert Kocharyan on 20 March 1997, when the latter was appointed as Prime Minister in the Republic of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

.

He continued to serve as president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 for almost 5-and-a-half months until 8 September 1997, at the same time keeping his Prime Minister position, when Arkadi Ghukasyan was elected as third president by popular vote.

Petrosyan then moved to Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

and was appointed the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, and in 1998 became the Deputy Prime Minister in the Republic of Armenia, He was killed in 1999 among other Armenian politicians in the hall of the Armenian National Assembly.

He was married and father of 4 children.
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