Conventional Long Form Name of country: Republic of Armenia
Capital City: Yerevan
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: September 21st, 1991
National Holiday: Independence Day, September 21st
Chief of State: President Serzh Sargsyan
Capital City: Yerevan
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: September 21st, 1991
National Holiday: Independence Day, September 21st
Chief of State: President Serzh Sargsyan
Head of Government: Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
Description of Executive Branch: The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister is appointed by the president based on majority or plurality support in parliament.
Description of Legislative Branch: the unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov has 131 seats; members are elected by popular vote, 90 members are elected by party list and 41 by direct vote to serve five-year terms
Description of Judicial Branch: The Court of Cassation consists of the court chairman and is organized into a criminal chamber and a civil and administrative chamber, each with a court chairman and 2 judges; the Constitutional Court consists of 9 judges
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Name of THEIR Ambassador to the U.S.: Ambassador Tatoul Markarian
Location of THEIR embassy in the U.S.: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S.: Glendale (CA), Los Angeles
Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Ambassador John Heffern
Location of U.S. embassy THERE: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE: N/A
Name of THEIR representative to UN: Garen Nazarian
Description of Legislative Branch: the unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov has 131 seats; members are elected by popular vote, 90 members are elected by party list and 41 by direct vote to serve five-year terms
Description of Judicial Branch: The Court of Cassation consists of the court chairman and is organized into a criminal chamber and a civil and administrative chamber, each with a court chairman and 2 judges; the Constitutional Court consists of 9 judges
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Name of THEIR Ambassador to the U.S.: Ambassador Tatoul Markarian
Location of THEIR embassy in the U.S.: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S.: Glendale (CA), Los Angeles
Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Ambassador John Heffern
Location of U.S. embassy THERE: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE: N/A
Name of THEIR representative to UN: Garen Nazarian
Description of the Symbolism of flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange; the color red recalls the blood shed for liberty, blue the Armenian skies as well as hope, and orange the land and the courage of the workers who farm it
National Symbol(s): Mount Ararat; eagle; lion
Descriptions of International Disputes: the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability; residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan; Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the medieval ruins of Ani, on the other side of the Arpacay valley; in 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered; local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders; ethnic Armenian groups in the Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian Government
Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: 6,000 (Syria - ethnic Armenians) (2013)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2009)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 35 (2012)
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: n0ne
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe
Descriptions of International Disputes: the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability; residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan; Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the medieval ruins of Ani, on the other side of the Arpacay valley; in 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered; local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders; ethnic Armenian groups in the Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian Government
Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: 6,000 (Syria - ethnic Armenians) (2013)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2009)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 35 (2012)
Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: n0ne
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe