US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2793

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002793 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, AM 
SUBJECT:  NEW DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER THE FIRST IN A 
SERIES 
 
1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please treat 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) Armenian President Robert Kocharian named 
Armen Bayburdian Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) 
December 24.  Bayburdian joins current Deputy 
Foreign Ministers Tatul Margarian (expected to be 
named Ambassador to the U.S. after Arman Kirakossian 
returns to Yerevan) and Ruben Shugarian (scheduled 
to be Armenia's next ambassador to Italy).  We 
expect that the president will name Arman 
Kirakossian and Gegham Gharibjanian to the two DFM 
positions that will come open early in 2005.  End 
Summary. 
 
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ARMEN BAYBURDIAN 
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3. (SBU) New Deputy Foreign Minister Armen 
Bayburdian previously served as a GOAM DFM from 1997 
to 2000, and as Armenia's Ambassador to India, 
Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nepal from 2000 to 2004. 
Born in 1964 in Yerevan, Bayburdian is an expert on 
Armenian-European relations.  Bayburdian joined the 
Armenian Foreign Service in 1993 and, in addition to 
his previously listed positions, has served as the 
Deputy UN Permanent Representative in New York from 
1993 to 1995, as the Consul General in Los Angeles 
from 1996 to 1997.  Bayburdian is married with three 
children. 
 
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ARMAN KIRAKOSSIAN 
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4. (SBU) Arman Kirakossian, 48, has been Ambassador 
to the U.S. since 1999.  Before taking up his 
current position in Washington, he was Ambassador to 
Greece; in the early 90s he served as Armenia's 
First Deputy Foreign Minister.  A historian by 
training, Kirakossian and his wife have one son. 
 
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GEGHAM GHARIBJANIAN 
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5. (SBU) Gegham Gharibjanian served as Armenian 
Ambassador to Iran and Qatar for six years, 
following a stint in the National Assembly in the 
mid-90s.  He returned to Yerevan in mid-December 
2004 and is expected to be named Deputy Foreign 
Minister in early 2005.  Born in 1951, Gharibjanian 
has extensive experience in the Middle East, and 
worked as a translator in Iran from 1978 to 1981.  A 
fellow student and long-time friend of Foreign 
Minister Vartan Oskanian, Gharibjanian's wife, Aida, 
performed with the Armenian State Dance Ensemble; 
their two daughters and son are students in Yerevan. 
EVANS