1. Vartan Minasi Oskanian was born on February 7,1955 and is an Armenian politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Armenia from 1998 to 2008 under President Robert Kocharyan.
13 Facts About Vartan Oskanian
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Vartan Oskanian continued his education with a graduate degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the United States; his fields of concentration were international monetary theory and policy, and diplomatic history and foreign policies.
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Vartan Oskanian received degrees from Tufts University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
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Vartan Oskanian was an international trustee of Armenia Fund, an organization that channels aid from the Armenian diaspora to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Vartan Oskanian moved to Armenia in 1992, shortly after Armenia's independence, and began work at the foreign ministry, first in the Middle East Department, then as head of the North America Department.
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In regards Armenia-Diaspora relations, Vartan Oskanian established fruitful relationships with Armenian lobbying organizations in the US and Europe, with other Armenian organizations and with individuals, including Tracinda Corporation owner Kirk Kerkorian.
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On this issue, Vartan Oskanian's approach broke significantly from previous policy.
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Vartan Oskanian pursued a comprehensive agreement that did not force Nagorno-Karabakh to remain within Azerbaijan.
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In 2012, Vartan Oskanian was elected to the National Assembly of Armenia as a candidate for the Prosperous Armenia Party.
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Vartan Oskanian was charged with embezzlement and money laundering in connection with a $2 million donation by Jon Huntsman Sr.
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Vartan Oskanian considered the criminal case politically motivated and a reaction to his and the Prosperous Armenia Party's criticism of Serzh Sargsyan's administration.
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Vartan Oskanian admitted to inadvertently using some of the donation for personal purposes, and the criminal case was dropped and settled out of court.
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In 2009, Vartan Oskanian published the book Speaking To Be Heard: A Decade of Speeches, published in Armenian as Anavart Tasnamyak.