ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER CONFIRMED AS NEW PRIME MINISTER

Agence France Presse — English
April 4, 2007 Wednesday 4:11 PM GMT

Armenian President Robert Kocharian on Wednesday confirmed former
defence minister Serge Sarkisian as the country’s new prime minister,
the president’s press office said in a statement.

The ruling Republican party nominated Sarkisian, a close ally of
Kocharian and a favourite to replace the president in 2008, for the
post on Monday.

He succeeds Andranik Margarian, who died of a heart attack on March
25 after seven years as prime minister.

Like Kocharian, Sarkisian is from the disputed region of Nagorny
Karabakh and fought in the 1988-1994 war in which Armenia seized the
enclave from Azerbaijan.

Sarkisian also chairs the Republican party’s ruling council and
is expected to play a key role in the party’s campaign for May 12
parliamentary elections.