Vazgen Manukyan


Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan was the first Prime Minister of Armenia, from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993 Manukyan was acting Minister of Defense, he was the Coordinator of the Karabakh committee and the first chairman of the Administrative Board of the Armenian National Movement. Vazgen Manukyan is a chairman of National Democratic Union party. From 2008 to 2019 has been the president of the Public Council of Armenia; a state body with a consulting role formed in 2008.. Vazgen Manukyan is the President of "Vernatun" Social Political Club, established in 2019..

Biography

Vazgen Manukyan was born in 1946 in the Manukyan family that had emigrated from Moxoene to Yerevan during the Armenian Genocide. Father, Mikael Manuk Manukyan, was a Doctor of mathematics and physical science, a professor at Yerevan State University. Mother, Astghik Hmayak Hakobyan, was born in Gyumri and graduated from Yerevan State University.
He studied at the school after Chekhov. From 1963 to 1968 Vazgen Manukyan studied at Yerevan State University, from 1966 to 1967 - at Moscow State University, and from 1969 to 1972 he was a postgraduate student at the Novossibirsk Subsidiary of the Union Academy. He holds a PhD in Mathematics and physical science, he is an associate professor, an author of dozens of scientific articles. From 1972 to 1990 he lectured at YSU.
He started his political career during his student years. He had to leave Moscow University to return to Yerevan due to organizing demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow on April 24, 1967.
Until 1988 he was a member-organizer of various political organizations.
He was a member of the “Karabakh” Committee since February 1988. Starting from June 1988 he was the coordinator of the “Karabakh” Committee.
On December 10, 1988, he was arrested along with other members of the “Karabakh” Committee and spent 6 months in “Matroskaya Tishina” prison in Moscow.
He was the first chairman of the Administrative Board of the Armenian National Movement.
In 1990 he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council of Armenia.
From 1990 to 1991 he was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. He is the first Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Armenia.
On September 26, 1991, Vazgen Manukyan resigned as Prime Minister. In 1991 he initiated the establishment of the National Democratic Union party together with the active participants and supporters of the movement. In September 1992 he was appointed the Minister of State, thereafter the Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia, at the same time managing the industrial complex of the Republic of Armenia.
During Vazgen Manukyan's governance time the regular Armenian army was formed, the course of the war changed, and when the Armenian side was constantly winning, in August 1993 he resigned.
From 1995 to 2007 he was a deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
From March 2009 to December 2019 he was the President of the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia.

Early political activity

Vazgen Manukyan started his political activity when he was a student. On April 24, 1967, with a group of like-minded people he organized a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, developing the scenario in advance, visiting Moscow universities and dormitories, finding Armenians by lists and informing about the demonstration.
On April 24 thousands of students gathered in front of the Embassy, holding hands and singing “Zartnir Lao”, after which the police came up, dragged them and tried to disperse the demonstration. But the demonstration had already taken place. This was the first successful demonstration after the unsuccessful attempts of previous years. Armenian students returned to dormitories excited to celebrate their victory.
A few days later, the demonstration organizers, including Vazgen Manukyan, were expelled from the university.
While preparing for the demonstration, Vazgen Manukyan met Hamo Harutyunyan, the former Soviet ambassador to Canada and head of the foreign policy planning department at the Soviet Union Foreign Ministry, who was a highly respected and influential figure in Moscow politics. It can be said that he laid the foundation of Manukyan's political activity.
Their contact continued even after the demonstration in Moscow. Hamo Harutyunyan taught Manukyan and his friends the nuances of politics and diplomacy, from national politics to global processes, talked about the structure of states, their internal chemistry, how political decisions were made, and so on. Harutyunyan also introduced the young people to famous Armenians. “His house was a center for Armenians. For example, I met Silva Kaputikyan there. We met there many times and became close to Marshal Baghramyan. We also got acquainted with Marshal Babajanyan, the former First Secretary Yakov Zarobyan, shortly said, the most influential people of the time”, Manukyan recalls.
The other great ideological influence on the young people was by Karen Takhtajyan, who was a mathematician, his father was a well-known academician in St. Petersburg. Karen Takhtajyan raised issues of national ideology, urging young people to read philosophy.“It was under his influence that I first began to study Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Otto Weininger, Indian philosophy. And under the influence of Hamo Akimich, we began to study what is meant by a joint-stock company, the economy of the United States, that is, if we were an independent state, we would understand which way to go, etc.. All these guys later played a big role not only in founding various secret organizations in Armenia, but also during the 1988 movement”.-Vazgen Manukyan.

Feasts of the Translators (Armenian: Tarkmanchats Toner)

In the 1960s a movement began in Armenia under which secret national organizations were formed, raising the issue of Armenian Genocide and other national issues. In 1967-68 Vazgen Manukyan and his friends founded the Armenian Culture Club at Moscow University, which, however, was not only cultural, but also carried out national activities under the name of culture. Later they set up a similar organization at Yerevan State University, again raising issues of independence, Artsakh, democracy and others under the name of Armenian culture.
In 1974 Vazgen Manukyan and his supporters created an initiative called “Feasts of the Translators”, which united the entire Armenian intelligentsia. The goal was to create a national club that would allow people to get to know each other, to communicate, to discuss issues in an informal atmosphere, to gain the like-minded and supporters in discussing these issues, so that the most influential intelligentsia could unite around the same ideas. For example, the issue of schools, Armenia-Russia relations, issues related to the Genocide, and sometimes even issues of freedom, independence, liberation from the communist regime were discussed.“When the movement of 88 started, we realized how important those round-ups were and how significant they were. The intelligentsia immediately united, because people already knew each other, approached the matters in the same way, shared the same ideas. That was the greatest achievement of the “Feasts of the Translators”.-Vazgen Manukyan

Movement-88, “Karabakh” Committee

Until 1988 Vazgen Manukyan was a member-organizer of various political organizations, uniting the Armenian intelligentsia, and it is not accidental that he is also at the roots of the Karabakh movement.“I experienced the greatest spiritual uplift of my life when I saw hundreds of thousands of eyes during my first speech at the mass meeting, although I said things that were not acceptable to them. Everyone was convinced that we have a permanent enemy in the person of Turkey and a permanent friend in the person of Russia. And I said that we had neither a permanent friend nor a permanent enemy”.
During the demonstrations in February 1988 Vazgen Manukyan, in his public speech, for the first time called for a nationwide strike.
In 1988, when the “Karabakh” Committee was formed to lead the movement to reunite Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, Vazgen Manukyan was first a member of the “Karabakh” Committee and then – the Committee coordinator.
The public speeches of the members of the “Karabakh” Committee were taken down in shorthand and presented to the Politburo. Knowing this well, Vazgen Manukyan sometimes indirectly addressed his speech to the Politburo itself. “One day in my speech I said that we were going to “rock the boat”, even if you do not give us Karabakh, the Baltic states will sooner or later stand up and the Soviet Union will collapse...”.
On December 10, 1988, Vazgen Manukyan was arrested along with other members of the “Karabakh” Committee and spent 6 months in “Matroskaya Tishina” prison in Moscow.
Vazgen Manukyan, Ashot Manucharyan and Davit Vardanyan from the “Karabakh” Committee thought that the scope of the Committee's issues should be expanded, certain ideological principles should be fixed. Manukyan put down those principles and presented them at the mass meeting. Later they became the ideological principles of the Armenian National Movement.
“In 1988 the movement brought forward an issue that was acceptable to the entire nation, including the communist nomenclature and the intellectuals. It was the reunification of Karabakh with Armenia. But thereafter the movement came up with two powerful ideas that contradicted the ideology that had existed before. The first was the national ideology. The article “The Law of Exclusion of the Third Force” was written, “Time to fly off the train” was written, at the mass meeting it was declared that “we do not have a permanent friend and a permanent enemy either”, the ideological principles of the movement were proclaimed, and all this was hotly debated in public. It meant reviewing the entire national policy that had prevailed in Armenian society for the past two hundred years”.- Vazgen Manukyan
The second most important principle proclaimed by the movement was the building of a new, liberal state. An issue was put forward to change the structure of the whole state, the attitude to human rights, freedoms, the issue of free economy, free political competition, multi-party system was raised, etc..
“On the one hand, the “Karabakh” Committee promoted the idea of resolving the Karabakh issue in a constitutional way, seeking to find partners in law and in international law all over the world, on the other hand, realizing the inevitability of war, in a way, so to speak, we encouraged the creation of volunteer detachments…”. “Turning the movement into an ethnic or religious issue, or relying only on history, could be a catastrophic mistake for us, the Armenians. The only way was the constitutional one, which made you understandable and acceptable for the whole world”.
Upon the initiative of the “Karabakh” Committee, the “Armenian National Movement” public-political organization was established, the founding administrative board of which consisted of almost all the members of the “Karabakh” committee. Vazgen Manukyan was elected the first chairman of the ANM Administrative Board.

The first Prime Minister of the Third Republic of Armenia

In May 1990 Vazgen Manukyan was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council of Armenia. On August 13, 1990 he was appointed by the Supreme Council as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Armenia. That was a hard period for Armenia: the USSR was rapidly collapsing, the political and economic blockade of Armenia from the north began.
On the one hand, efforts were needed to slow down the collapse, on the other hand, it was necessary to move quickly to a new economic system. The government, which held the entire executive power successfully implemented this complex program, having relations based on political trust with both the Soviet republics and other countries.
The government headed by Vazgen Manukyan launched a number of systemic reforms which created a serious basis for further development of the country.
On September 26, 1991, Vazgen Manukyan resigned as Prime Minister.

National Democratic Union (NDU)

After the formation of the “National Democrats” faction in the Supreme Council, Vazgen Manukyan, together with David Vardanyan, Arshak Sadoyan, Shavarsh Kocharyan, Ludvig Khachatryan, Tigran Sargsyan, Seyran Avagyan and other figures initiated the establishment of the NDU party uniting the active participants and supporters of the movement.

The Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia during the war

In September 1992 Vazgen Manukyan was appointed the Minister of State, thereafter the Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia, at the same time managing the industrial complex of the Republic of Armenia. During that period the regular army of the Republic of Armenia was finally formed, after many defeats the period of brilliant victories of the Karabakh army began, and hostilities were replaced by political negotiations.
Kapan operation
In the autumn-winter months of 1992 the situation on the country's borders was dire. Shahumyan and Martakert were in the hands of the enemy, Kichan, accordingly, Stepanakert and all of Karabakh were under constant threat. Passing through the Lachin corridor was extremely dangerous, sometimes impossible. The enemy was shelling the Armenian villages of Kapan region with different weapons, endangering the Kapan-Goris highway.
Since April 24, 1992, the border clashes turned into serious hostilities. The city of Kapan and the border settlements were massively shelled.
A decision was made to take measures to eliminate the most dangerous bases of the enemy. Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, the Lieutenant General Hrachya Andreasyan worked out a plan, Yuri Khachaturov was appointed head of the operation.
The operation started early in the morning of December 10. After several hours of fighting the Armenian side managed to completely defeat the enemy and change the outcome of the war. The author of the operation was the Defense Minister Vazgen Manukyan.

Kalbajar operation

The operation to destroy the Azeri military base located in the Kalbajar region, to liberate the occupied settlements and to crush the Lachin-Kalbajar group of the Azerbaijani army took place from March 27 to April 2, 1993. It was also during Vazgen Manukyan's tenure and was under his direct leadership.
Kalbajar was very significant in its position. Martakert was being shelled from Kalbajar, the enemy forces stationed in Kalbajar were a great danger to the planes replenishing the Shahumyan partisan detachments. It was not possible to liberate Kalbajar in one direction. It was carried out in three directions by simultaneous attack.
Vazgen Manukyan did not inform the then President Levon Ter-Petrosyan about the operations in Kapan and Kalbajar, as the latter was against such actions, considering them unacceptable to the international community.
In August 1993 Vazgen Manukyan resigned as the Defense Minister, playing a significant role in winning the Artsakh war during his one-year tenure.

[[1996 Armenian presidential election|September 1996 presidential election]]

The situation in Armenia was getting worse day by day, the government was not able to solve the socio-economic problems, emigration was gaining momentum. The disappointment of the people was deepening.
In 1995 Vazgen Manukyan was elected a deputy of the RA National Assembly from constituency #20.
During the 1996 presidential election a serious opposition front was formed. The main political parties and forces unite, nominating Vazgen Manukyan as a candidate of national accord in the presidential elections.
The 1996 presidential election turned into widespread election falsification in favor of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, while the opposition candidate Vazgen Manukyan clearly won the election. The administration of Levon Ter-Petrosyan did not concede positions. Even as a result of widespread election falsification, according to official data, Vazgen Manukyan received 41% of the vote, while Levon Ter-Petrosyan received 51,3%. It has been alleged that the September 1996 presidential election was rigged to ensure a first round victory for President Levon Ter-Petrossian so that he would not have to face Manukyan in a second round.
The NDU presented an evidence base to the Constitutional Court in volumes. “Nevertheless, we did not announce that the opposition candidate had won, but demanded that each constituency opens 3 random boxes, and if election falsification is found, we will go to the second round”. - Vazgen Manukyan.
Opposition mass meetings start. At the September 26 mass meeting Vazgen Manukyan announces: “Now it is being decided which way the state will go. If there comes an illegitimate government, it becomes a tradition and will continue in the same way».
Vazgen Manukyan went to the Central Electoral Commission with several people, which was then located in the building of the National Assembly, offering to open 3 boxes from each region. Then Vazgen Manukyan announces: “If we do not come out in 20-30 minutes, come for us”.The people moved from the Freedom Square along Baghramyan Avenue to the CEC, chanting “Vazgen, the President”. At around 6pm, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the National Assembly in support of decisive actions. A little later, Vova Hakhverdyan, one of Vazgen Manukyan's supporters, came out of the National Assembly and stated: “I personally repeat Vazgen Manukyan's words” - “We will succeed, just be patient. It is his personal request to wait patiently, but the negotiations are being held in a rather difficult atmosphere”.
After some time passed, seeing that Vazgen Manukyan does not leave the building of the National Assembly, the people broke the iron gates of the National Assembly and entered into the territory of the building. Clashes began.
Vazgen Manukyan tried to calm down the demonstrators, saying: “Here the Commission is making a decision, which we are completely satisfied with. People, the future of our entire nation depends on this moment”.He called on the people not to resort to riots and not to raise their hands against the police.
Excerpts from the US State Department Report on the 1996 presidential election and the aftermath “President Levon Ter-Petrosyan was re-elected as a result of the multi-candidate and contradictory elections in September, which were marked by a number of illegalities and serious violations of the electoral law. The opposition rejected the official results of the elections and appealed to the Constitutional Court, asking to annul the decision of the Central Electoral Commission and call new elections. The examination conducted by the Court did not dispel the doubts about the reliability of the official results...”.
“…During the events following the September elections, the government beat and abused the members of opposition parties and the demonstrators. The government signed an agreement with the Red Cross authorizing meetings and private conversations with the detainees, still not enough steps were taken to implement that agreement…”.
“…The government continued to impose certain restrictions on the freedom of the press, the security forces beat and arrested journalists after the events of September, and journalists tend to have some self-censorship…”.
“…After the events following the presidential election, when the ban on demonstrations was still in force, the security forces officers wearing no uniforms beat up the passers-by who appeared near the main mass meeting site. Two cases of police brutality were registered in the first half of the year. In each case, the prisoner who was severely beaten, then committed suicide. Both cases are currently pending at the Supreme Court…”.

Public Council

From 2008 to November 13, 2019, Vazgen Manukyan headed the Public Council of the Republic of Armenia. Prominent scientists, public, cultural figures, former statesmen, intellectuals were involved in the Council, who, by uniting and cooperating within the Council, formed a common vision for the future of Armenia and the Armenian people, formulated issues that were presented to the authorities of the day.
During the years headed by Vazgen Manukyan the Council performed actively, responding to all the issues concerning Armenia and the Armenian people, which received a public resonance and touched the society. Numerous issues were raised and considered in the Council and proposals on them were submitted to the RA President or the RA Government on the initiative of the Public Council members or commissions. Some of these issues were immediately resolved, some were included in the guidelines and programs of the RA Government activities.
The Council worked closely with the President of the Republic of Armenia, the Head of the Government, and the heads of state agencies. The commissions of the Public Council actively cooperated with the representatives of the relevant state structures. The culture of public dialogue and public discussions reached a new level of development.
Election yearVotes%Position
1996516,12941.0%2
1998172,44912.2%3
200312,9040.91%5
200821,0751.3%5