Early Career
Sargsyan's career began in 1975 at the Electrical Devices Factory in Yerevan, where he worked as a metal turner until 1979 when he became head of the Stepanakert City Communist Party Youth Association Committee. Then he served as the Second Secretary, the First Secretary, the Stepanakert City Committee Propaganda Division Head, the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee Communist Organizations' Unit Instructor, and finally as the assistant to Genrikh Poghosyan, the First Secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee.
As tensions rose over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Sargsyan became the Chairman of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Self-Defense Forces Committee and was subsequently elected to the Supreme Council of Armenia in 1990. He organized several battles in the Nagorno-Karabakh War and is considered to be one of the founders of Armenia's armed forces.
From 1993 to 1995 he was the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
From 1995 to 1996, he was the Head of the Republic of Armenia State Security Department and, later, the Minister of National Security.
From 1999 to 2000 he served as the Chief of Staff for the Republic of Armenia President Robert Kocharyan.
From 1999 to 2007 he was the Secretary of the Republic of Armenia National Security Council led by the President.
From 2000 to 2007 he served as the Defence Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
On April 4, 2007 Sargsyan was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
On February 19, 2008 Serzh Sargsyan was elected as the third President of the Republic of Armenia.
Read more about this topic: Serzh Sargsyan
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