Levon Ter-Petrossian
Levon Ter-Petrossian (
Armenian: Լևոն Տեր-Պետրոսյան;
Russian: Левон Тер-Петросян) (born
January 9 1945), sometimes transliterated
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, was the
President of
Armenia from
1991 to
1998. Because of many
economic and
political problems, he resigned on
February 3,
1998 and was succeeded by
Robert Kocharian.
Ter-Petrossian was born in
Aleppo,
Syria to an
Armenian-
Syrian communist family. They emigrated to Armenia in
1946.
In
1968, Ter-Petrossian graduated from the Oriental Studies Department of the
Yerevan State University. In
1971, he completed his
postgraduate studies at the Leningrad Oriental Studies Institute. In
1972, he completed his masters thesis. In
1987, he received his
doctoral degree. In
1972-
1978, Ter-Petrossian worked as junior researcher at the Literature Institute of Armenia named after
Manouk Abeghian. In
1978-
1985, he held the post of science secretary at
Matenadaran named after
Saint Mesrob Mashdots. Since
1985, Ter-Petrossian has been working at Matenadaran as a senior researcher.
He is the author of more than 70 scholarly publications in
Armenian,
Russian and
French. He is also a member of the Armenian Writers' Union, the French Asian Society, the Venice Mkhitarian Academy and the recipient of an
honorary doctorate from the
University of La Verne in
La Verne, California.
Ter-Petrossian's political career started in the
1960s. In February
1988, he led Matenadaran's
"Karabakh" committee. In May of the same year, he became involved with the Armenian Committee of the Karabakh movement. From
December 10,
1988, to
May 31,
1989, he was under arrest together with other members of the "Karabakh" committee.
In
1989, Ter-Petrossian was elected Member of the Board of the
Pan-Armenian National Movement. Later on, he became the Chairman of the Board.
On
August 27,
1989, he was elected as deputy of the
Supreme Soviet of the
Armenian SSR. He was re-elected as deputy on
May 20,
1990. On
August 4 of the same year, he became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia.
Ter-Petrossian was popularly elected the first President of the newly-independent Republic of Armenia on
October 16,
1991 and re-elected on
September 22,
1996. His re-election was marred by allegations of electoral fraud reported by the opposition and suppotred by some international observers. His popularity waned further as the opposition started blaming him for the economic quagmire that Armenia's post-Soviet economy was in. He was also unpopular with one party in particular, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which he banned and jailed its leadership, on the grounds that the party had a foreign-based leadership--something which was forbidden according to the Armenian Constitution.
He was forced to step down in February
1998 after advocating concessions to Azerbaijan in the resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh which many Armenians regarded as humiliating. Ter-Petrossian's key ministers, led by then-Prime Minister
Robert Kocharian, refused to accept a peace plan for Karabakh put forward by international mediators in September
1997. The plan, accepted by Ter-Petrossian and Azerbaijan, called for a "phased" settlement of the conflict which would postpone an agreement on Karabakh's status, the main stumbling block. That agreement was to accompany the return of most Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani territories around Karabakh and the lifting of the Azerbaijani and
Turkish blockades of Armenia. Incidentally the same agreementis the basis for the negotiations taking place under the leadership of Robert Kocharian.
Since his resignation, Ter-Petrossian has rarely appeared in public and has studiously avoided contact with the media, although there was speculation that he would run for president of Armenia in the last general election in February 2003. He instead has devoted his time to scientific research.
*
Official Presidential site of Armenia*http://www.arf.am/English/history/004history.htm
