Vahagn Khachaturyan was sworn in as fifth President of Armenia on Sunday. He took the oath at a special session of the National Assembly in the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan, Parliament Chairman Alen Simonyan, MPs, government ministers and other high-ranking guests.

With his right hand on the Constitution of Armenia and the Bible, the President pledged: “By assuming office of President of Armenia, I swear to be committed to the Constitution of Armenia, to be impartial during fulfillment of my powers, to be guided solely by state and pan-national interests and to contribute my entire strength for the strengthening of national unity.”

In his inaugural speech, Khachaturyan acknowledged that he was assuming office at a pivotal time for Armenia amid “complicated regional and international challenges.”

“We are witnessing rapidly changing geopolitical developments as a result of which current global security systems are being transformed. Today, more than ever, we need wisdom, confidence, stability and unity,” the new Armenian president said.

Vahagn Khachaturyan was elected President on March 3 by a vote of 71 by the Armenian parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party. The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem alliances refused to take part in the elections.

Khachaturyan, 63, is a trained economist who served as High-Tech Industry Minister. He served as mayor of Yerevan from 1992-1996 during former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s rule and later joined the board of directors in Armeconombank.

Under Armenia’s constitution, the president is elected for a term of seven years and the same person may not be elected as president more than once.

https://massispost.com/2022/03/vahagn-khachaturyan-sworn-in-as-fifth-president-of-armenia/