Anna Vachiki Hakobyan ( hy, Աննա Վաչիկի Հակոբյան; born February 1, 1978), is the wife of the current

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

, Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan. She is the editor-in-chief of the ''

Haykakan Zhamanak ''Haykakan Zhamanak'' ( hy, Հայկական Ժամանակ, ''Armenian Times'') is a daily newspaper in Armenian published in Yerevan, Armenia, since 1999. It is a follow up of the daily newspaper ''Oragir'' (Օրագիր) established in 1998 and ...

'' (''Armenian Times'') newspaper. Unofficially, Hakobyan is regarded as the "

First Lady of Armenia First Lady of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի առաջին տիկին) refers to the wife of the president of Armenia. The country's current first lady is Anahit Minasyan, who has held the position since March 13, 2022. To date, there have been ...

", a position that is reserved for the spouses of the

President of Armenia The president of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Նախագահ, Hayastani Nakhagah) is the head of state and the guarantor of independence and territorial integrity of Armenia elected to a single seven-year term by the National Assembly of Arm ...

Education and career

Anna Hakobyan was born on February 1, 1978 in the Armenian SSR. She graduated from the

Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; hy, Երևանի Պետական Համալսարան, ԵՊՀ, ''Yerevani Petakan Hamalsaran''), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919 ...

. After she graduated, she began working as a journalist in

. She is currently the editor-in-chief of the largest newspaper in Armenia, ''

''.

2018 Velvet Revolution

Hakobyan played an active role in the

2018 Armenian revolution The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in Armenia as #MerzhirSerzhin ( hy, ՄերժիրՍերժին, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and ...

, which were a series of anti-government peaceful mass protests in response to the past president's third consecutive term. On May 8, 2018 Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister.

Spouse of the Prime Minister

2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony (2018-06-14) 31

Hakobyan became the official spouse of the prime minister on May 8, 2018 following her husband's election as prime minister.

Charity work

Just after the election, Hakobyan initiated a meeting with the charitable organisations involved in pediatric cancer and specialists. During the meeting session under her leadership, a working group to improve the state of pediatric cancer in

was formed. Currently, a charitable foundation, of which Hakobyan is the Honorary President, is in the formation process to support the development of pediatric oncology and hematology in Armenia.

2020 war

Hakobyan was active during the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involving Azerbai ...

, serving on the front lines after going through a weeklong training program. She founded the Erato Detachment, which is the first all-women military unit in the

Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakobyan, Anna 21st-century Armenian women writers 1978 births Living people Armenian editors Armenian journalists Armenian women journalists Yerevan State University alumni Nikol Pashinyan First Ladies of Armenia