Samvel Sergeyi Shahramanyan (Armenian: Սամվել Սերգեյի Շահրամանյան; born 1 December 1978) is an Armenian politician who served as the 5th president of the Republic of Artsakh, since 10 September 2023. He was also State Minister from August to September 2023. He also served as Minister of Military Patriotic Upbringing, Youth, Sports and Tourism, Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh and a Major General in the Artsakh Defence Army.
Early life and career
Shahramanyan was born in Stepanakert on 1 December 1978, in what was then the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. He graduated in 1999 from the economics department of the Artsakh University. From 1996 and 1999, he served in the Artsakh Defense Army and then moved to the Artsakh National Security Service, of which he was director between 2018 and 2020 upon appointment by President Bako Sahakyan.[1]
Political career
Ministerial positions in Artsakh
In May 2020, Shahramanyan was appointed by President Arayik Harutyunyan as Minister of Military Patriotic Upbringing, Youth, Sports and Tourism as part of the latter's government.[2]
On 29 August 2023, Harutyunyan stated that he was considering resigning and going to serve in Artsakh's militia.[3] On 31 August, Harutyunyan announced his resignation as president of the Republic of Artsakh along with State MinisterGurgen Nersisyan.[4] Before his resignation, in his final decree, Harutyunyan appointed Shahramanyan as the new State Minister, giving him broad powers.[5]
On 6 September 2023, it became known that three opposition parliamentary factions (Justice, Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Democratic Party of Artsakh) nominated Shahramanyan as their presidential candidate.[6] Later Shahramanyan's candidacy was supported by the largest faction of the Parliament, Free Motherland-UCA.[1] In the presidential election held on 9 September, Shahramanyan, who was the sole candidate, was elected in a 22–1 vote out of 23 deputies present.[7][8]
Azerbaijani offensive, exodus and dissolution of Artsakh
Nine days after Shahramanyan was sworn in, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Artsakh.[9][10] The following day, the Artsakhi government reached a ceasefire agreement and agreed to disarm.[11] On 24 September, a mass evacuation of ethnic-Armenian civilians began, citing fears of persecution and ethnic cleansing if they remain.[12][13] On 28 September, Shahramanyan signed a decree stating that all state institutions would be dissolved by 1 January 2024, bringing the existence of the Republic of Artsakh to an end.[14][15] On 22 December 2023, Shahramanyan said that there was no official document stipulating the dissolution of government institutions, implying that the republic may continue as a government in exile.[16]
On 4 October, it was reported that Shahramanyan had left Artsakh for Armenia.[17][18] He was spotted in Yerevan on 16 October.[19]
Personal life
Shahramanyan is married and has three children.[20]
^"Armenia, Azerbaijan: Baku Launches Military Operation In Nagorno-Karabakh". Stratfor. 2023-09-19. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-22. ...the Russian peacekeeping contingent is incapable of preventing Azerbaijan's seizure of the region, despite this being a clear violation of the November 2020 ceasefire brokered by Russia that ended the last war.
^"Joint statement on Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh | Communiqués | Documents | DSCA | Delegations | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-21. We condemn in the strongest terms today's pre-planned and unjustified attack of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh...We recall that the attack takes place in the context of a major humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor for the past nine months, in violation of Baku's commitments under the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 and of the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice. Humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be fully and permanently restored.
