Armenia’s 10th Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan would turn 70 today

Today marks the 70th jubilee of Andranik Margaryan, the 10th prime minister of Armenia, who was also the longest-serving in the Third Republic's history.

The former leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)  took the helm of state in a transitional period when the country was experiencing real shocks. But he was not afraid of taking chances to assume the heavy burden. 

A mathematician/programmer by profession, Margaryan went into politics back in the 1960s, ignoring the Soviet-era censorship and restrictions. He joined the campaign for Armenia’s independence as a member of the National Unity Party, an underground political force at the time. The young politician was jailed and convicted for two years for rebelling against the Soviet regime.

Margaryan is also among the founding fathers of the former ruling party, the first registered political force of the newly independent republic. He was for many years the Chairman of the RPA Board, becoming its leader in 1997.

Margaryan died of a heart attack on March 25, 2007, after nearly seven years in office.