Arman Kirakossian (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

: Արման Կիրակոսյան; 10 September 1956 – 6 July 2019) was an

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n diplomat and historian. From November 2014 until his death he served as Ambassador of Armenia to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

as well as Ambassador to the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

(OSCE) and International Organizations in Vienna (

UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...

UNODC The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...

IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

CTBTO The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is an international organization that will be established upon the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, a Convention that outlaws nuclear test explosions. I ...

Biography

Kirakossian was born in Yerevan, the son of the historian and political scientist John Kirakosyan. He received his bachelor's degree in History and Geography in 1977 and a master's degree in History of the

Armenian Question The Armenian question was the debate following the Congress of Berlin in 1878 as to how the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire should be treated. The term became commonplace among diplomatic circles and in the popular press. In specific terms, the ...

and International Diplomacy in 1980 from the Armenian State Pedagogical University. In November 1999, he earned the degree of Doctor of Sciences in History from the Institute of History of the

National Academy of Sciences of Armenia The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates activ ...

. Before embarking on a diplomatic career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Kirakossian held several high-level academic positions at the National Academy of Sciences. He was Project Director at the Center of Scientific Information for Social Sciences from 1980 to 1986, then Senior Fellow and associate director of the Armenian Diaspora Studies Department from 1990 to 1991. From 1991 to 1994, he held the post of First Deputy Foreign Minister, and, from October 1992 to February 1993, served as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. He held the diplomatic Rank of

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

(1992). From 1994 to 1999 Kirakossian was Armenia's

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. He also assumed the duties of the Dean of Diplomatic Corps in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Kirakossian was also accredited to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. Kirakossian served as Armenian Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2005. He was also Permanent Observer of Armenia to the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

from 2001. In 2005 he was appointed again as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Kirakossian assumed his role as Ambassador to Austria and the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

in 2011. From November 2018 he was appointed Ambassador to

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He died in Yerevan on 6 July 2019.

Publications

Kirakossian was an author of books and more than 120 publications. Four of his books were published in English: *''British Diplomacy and the Armenian Question'' (

Gomidas Institute The Gomidas Institute (GI; ) is an independent academic institution "dedicated to modern Armenian and regional studies." Its activities include research, publications and educational programmes. It publishes documents, monographs, memoirs and oth ...

, Princeton and London, 2003), *''The Armenian Massacres 1894-1896: U.S. Media Testimony'' (Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 2004), *''Armenia-USA: Current Realities and Vision for Future'' (Yerevan State University Press, 2007), *''The Armenian Massacres 1894-1896: British Media Testimony'' (Armenian Research Center, University of Michigan, Dearborn, 2008). He was Professor of History and International Relations at the Yerevan State University.

Recognition

Kirakossian was decorated with: *Gold Medal of City Athens (1999), *Commemorative Medal (2001), *Medal of "John Kirakossian" (2009) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, *Gold Medal of the

Yerevan State University Yerevan State University (YSU; , , ), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919, it is the largest university in the country. It is thus informally known as Armenia's ...

(2006), *State Medal of Mkhitar Gosh for significant services in the sphere of

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

References

External links

Biography

Publications

Recognition

See also

References

External links