THOUSANDS OF ARMENIANS TURN OUT FOR PM’S FUNERAL
Agence France Presse — English
March 28, 2007 Wednesday 5:45 PM GMT
Thousands of people paid tribute Wednesday to Armenian prime minister
Andranik Margarian as his funeral procession passed through the
streets of Erevan.
Braving driving rain, Armenians milled around the Yerevan Opera House
in central Erevan as the cortege passed by on its way to the Pantheon,
where Margarian, who died of a heart attack on Sunday, was buried
alongside some of Armenia’s greatest historical figures.
Delegations from a number of countries were present at the funeral for
the 56-year-old leader of the ruling Republican party and the former
Soviet republic’s 10th prime minister since independence in 1991.
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, the most high-level official
present, was flanked by government ministers, members of parliament
and other officials from countries including Canada, France, Greece,
Ukraine and the United States, as well as NATO’s special representative
for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Turkey, which does not have diplomatic ties with Armenia, was
nonetheless represented at the funeral by its ambassador to Georgia,
and the Turkish prime minister and foreign minister sent a telegram
expressing their condolences.
A national day of mourning was declared on Wednesday, with flags
flying at half mast across the country and all entertainment programs
and events were cancelled.
Margarian, who died just weeks before legislative elections on May 12,
had been in office since 2000.
Previously he was a parliamentary deputy in the 1990s and served in
different government departments during the Soviet era.
Trained as an engineer, Margarian was arrested for anti-Soviet
dissident activity in 1974 and sentenced to two years in prison,
according to his official biography.
As laid down by the Armenian constitution, the entire government
resigned following the prime minister’s death.
Government sources have indicated that Margarian was likely to be
succeeded by Defence Minister Serge Sarksian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
