Lilit Kamo Makunts ( hy, Լիլիթ Կամոյի Մակունց; born 7 November 1983) is an

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 ''Ox ...

n philologist and politician who currently serves as the Armenian ambassador to the United States. Earlier, she served as the leader of the ruling

My Step Alliance The My Step Alliance ( hy, Իմ Քայլը դաշինք, Im Kaylə Dashink', IKD) was a political alliance in Armenia formed by the Civil Contract party, the Mission Party and various independent representatives of civil society. It was formed i ...

faction in the seventh

National Assembly of Armenia The National Assembly of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Ազգային ժողով, ''Hayastani Hanrapetyut'yan Azgayin zhoghov'' or simply Ազգային ժողով, ԱԺ ''Azgayin Zhoghov'', ''AZh''), also infor ...

and as Minister of Culture in the first cabinet of

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...

Biography and academic career

Makunts was born in the capital of Armenia, in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

, on 7 November 1983. Between 1999 and 2003 she studied Romance and Germanic Philology at

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 ...

from where she obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

. In the same faculty, between 2003 and 2004, she received a master's degree. Lilit Makunts got a

candidate degree Candidate of Philosophy can refer to the US degree or status of Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil. or Ph.C.) granted to Ph.D. students who have been accepted as candidates for that degree, or (as a direct translation) to degrees or former degrees at ...

in philological sciences. In 2005 she started teaching as an associate professor in the

Russian-Armenian University Russian-Armenian University (RAU) (russian: Российско-Армянский университет, РАУ; hy, Հայ-Ռուսական համալսարան) is an intergovernmental university being under the joint authority of the Russia ...

, where she became the head of the Department of International Cooperation in February 2018. She also worked at the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

from 2016 to 2018.

Political career

For 8 years Makunts was member of the board of the

Armenian Liberal Party Armenian Liberal Party ( hy, Հայաստանի լիբերալ կուսակցություն; ''Hayastani liberal kusakcut'yun'') is a liberal political party in Armenia. The leader of the party is Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. The party was founded in ...

and was leader of its youth organization between 2004 and 2012. In the 2012 parliamentary election she ran as a candidate for the

Armenian National Congress The Armenian National Congress ( hy, italic=yes, Հայ Ազգային Կոնգրես, translit=Hay Azgayin Kongres) is an Armenian political party led by former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan and formed in 2008. Its direct predecessor was the Pa ...

but did not get a seat in the National Assembly. On 12 May 2018, on the proposal of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President

Armen Sarkissian Armen Vardani Sarkissian ( hy, Արմեն Վարդանի Սարգսյան; also written as Sarksyan and Sargsyan) (born 23 June 1952) is an Armenian politician, physicist and computer scientist who served as the 4th president of Armenia from 9 A ...

appointed Lilit Makunts Minister of Culture of Armenia. In the 2018 parliamentary election she was elected to parliament for the Civil Contract party and was elected leader of the My Step Alliance parliamentary faction in January 2019. In August 2021, Makunts, who has no prior diplomatic experience, was appointed Ambassador of Armenia to the United States of America. Her appointment was the subject of criticism in Armenia and in the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

due to her lack of diplomatic experience.

References

1983 births Living people Armenian philologists Politicians from Yerevan Yerevan State University alumni Members of the National Assembly (Armenia) Women government ministers of Armenia Culture ministers of Armenia 21st-century Armenian women politicians 21st-century Armenian politicians Members of the 7th convocation of the National Assembly (Armenia) Civil Contract (Armenia) politicians {{Armenia-politician-stub

Biography and academic career

Political career

See also

References