Raffi Hovannisian

Raffi K. Richardi Hovannisian, born on November twentieth, nineteen fifty-nine, is a prominent Armenian politician and diplomat. He holds the distinction of being the first Foreign Minister of Armenia and is the founding leader of the national liberal Heritage party. Hovannisian is also the founder of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, which stands as the country's first independent research center.

Born in Fresno, California, to a family of professors and descendants of Armenian genocide survivors, Hovannisian moved to Armenia in nineteen ninety. His political career took off when he was appointed as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the newly independent Armenia by President Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

In two thousand two, he established the Heritage party, which garnered six percent of the popular vote in the two thousand seven parliamentary elections. Hovannisian's political journey continued as he ran for president in two thousand thirteen, securing second place with thirty-seven percent of the vote. He claimed victory amidst allegations of electoral fraud, which sparked widespread protests across Armenia, particularly in Yerevan's Freedom Square.

During the aftermath of the election, Hovannisian called for President Sargsyan to acknowledge the