Vazgen Sargsyan:" Let's stop and start everything from the field of kindness." (videos)

RA great political and military figure, founder of Armed Forces, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan today would have turned 54.

Vazgen Sargsyan was born in Ararat, Armenian SSR on March 5, 1959. He graduated from Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1979 before working as a physical instruction teacher in a village school in Ararat. An amateur writer, Sargsyan then moved into literary life.

From 1986 to 1989 he headed the publicity department of the Garun (Spring) literary monthly in Yerevan. But the Armenian national ferment of the late 1980s saw him abandon this role as he flung himself headlong into political life.

From 1992–1993 he was Defence Minister of Armenia, while from 1993–1995 he was state minister in charge of defence. In 1995, during the restructuring of government ministries, he once again became defence minister. In these various capacities he laid the groundwork for building Armenia's army, a cause dear to his heart. He controlled the fledgling armed forces during the height of the fighting in Karabakh, in which Armenia's forces were heavily involved.

After serving as Defence Minister, he was appointed prime minister on June 11 by President Kocharyan. Sargsyan was killed, however, along with parliament speaker and former communist leader Karen Demirchyan and several other politicians when gunmen, headed by journalist Nairi Hunanyan, took over the parliament building.

The other parliament members were held as hostages until the next day. A week later, Vazgen's brother, Aram Sargsyan became prime minister until May 2000. He was buried at Yerablur military cemetery.

Following his death, Sargsyan was posthumously awarded with the title of hero. Numerous streets and schools in Karabakh were also named after him.