Mikael Harutyunyan

Harutyunyan was born and grew up in the village of Sagiyan, Shamakhi in central Azerbaijan SSR. He graduated from a Soviet military college in Baku in 1967.[1] Harutyunyan served in the Soviet armed forces, in the Soviet Army platoon from 1967 and then the commander of the reconnaissance from 1971. He was chief of motorized infantry division from 1976 to 1982. Afterward, Harutyunyan help positions in the Army Corps and Army Guard. In 1976 Colonel General Harutyunyan graduated from the Reconnaissance Department of Frunze Military Academy. In 1988 he graduated from the USSR Armed Forces General Staff Military Academy. He was the senior lecturer of the Military Academy from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, by the Order of CIS Joint Armed Forces Chief Commander, Harutyunyan was sent to Armenia and was assigned as the First Deputy Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces - Head of Operational Department.

In 1994 he was promoted to the rank of Major General and was assigned as the Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defence. In 1996 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and in 2002 to the rank of Colonel General by the decree of the President of Armenia.[1][2]

On 26 March 2007, Serzh Sargsyan, who was the Defence Minister, was appointed Prime Minister of Armenia after the sudden death of Andranik Margaryan. The post was vacant until 4 April 2007 when Colonel-General Mikael Harutyunyan was appointed to the post of Defence Minister. Before being appointed to the post, Harutyunyan was First Deputy Defence Minister.[3]

On 14 April 2008, the newly elected president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan (former Prime Minister of Armenia), signed two decrees: one appointing Mikael Harutyunyan as Chief Military Inspector, and another appointing him as a Presidential Advisor, with the hope that his skill and experience would prove useful in the continual development of the military.[4] Replacing Mikael Harutyunyan in his Minister of Defence post was Seyran Ohanyan.[5]

He is the youngest male in a family of 5 sisters and 2 brothers. His entire family members left Azerbaijan after the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including his elder brother Vladimir, who also joined the army. His sister Zoya Arutyunova currently resides in Kürdəmir in central Azerbaijan, and his nephew has served in Nakhchivan in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.[6]

He is a recipient of orders and decorations of USSR, the Republic of Armenia and foreign states:[2]

• Order of the Combat Cross, 2nd degree
• Medal "For Services to the Fatherland", 1st degree
• Medal "For Services to the Fatherland", 2nd degree
• Vardan Mamikonian Order
• Order of Nerses the Gracious
• Mesrop Mashtots Medal
• Medal of Marshal Baghramyan
• Andranik Ozanyan Medal
• Medal "For Distinguished Service", 1st class
• Medal "For Distinguished Service", 2nd class
• Order of the Combat Cross, 2nd degree
• Legion of Honour
• Medal "For strengthening military cooperation"

• First Nagorno-Karabakh War
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Seyran Ohanyan
• Seyran Shahsuvaryan