Gagik Tsarukyan
Gagik Koljaji Zarukjan (Armenian Գագիկ Կոլյայի Ծառուկյան, in scientific transliteration Gagik Caṙukyan, other spellings are Tsarukian, Tsarukyan Tsaroukian, Tsaroukyan; born November 25, 1956 in Arindsch ( Առինջ ) in Abovyan ) is an Armenian businessman, politician and sports official.
Life
Business and political activities
There is no official information about the activity for which he has followed in the period between leaving school and study. In 1989, he finished at the age of 32 years, his studies at the Sports Science Institute in Yerevan. He then worked according to official figures a year as a heating technician at the " Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine Yerevan ", according to other sources, he worked as a sports coach. After that, he was until 1992 Director of the company " Armenia Company". In 1992, Zurakjan the largest livestock operation Armenia.
1996 acquired Zarukjan 29% of the shares of Kotayk Brewery in Abovyan. In 1997, he earned a ibid. measuring instruments factory, a chemical factory in the capital, Yerevan, and created the furniture chain " MEK ". In 1998 he took over the majority of shares " Aviaservice " ( a factory for aircraft meals) and founded " Aviasnud ". 1999-2002 he built the service station network Multi Leon. In 2000, he summed up his business empire to the so-called Multi Group, said the name reflects the variety of business fields. 2002 came to this group, the newly formed company Multi Stone ( business is the mining and export of rock) which will Yerevan Brandy, wine and liquor factory Ararat, also Zarukjan was awarded the contract for the privatization of Araratzement (the largest cement plant in the South Caucasus ). In June 2005, the Multi Group to more than 40 companies have covers.
In the presidential elections in the spring of 2003, he supported the eventual winner Robert Kocharian. In Zarukjans home village Arindsch the official results according voted 100 % for Kocharian. Zarukjan, the non-party is joined in the parliamentary elections on 25 May 2003 in a constituency and won his home region to be awarded the direct mandate. As a parliamentarian, he enjoys immunity and serves on the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Home Affairs on. In Parliament, he is comparatively rare. Reporters have seen him for the last time in the summer of 2003 in Parliament.
On November 22, 2003, a bomb attack on the car of Nikol Paschinjan, editor of the opposition daily Haykakan Zhamanak was committed. The attack happened on the evening before the editorial building at a time, to the Panischjan is usually on the way home. He accused Zarukjan to have been masterminding the attack, because the newspaper had reported that Zarukjan leave illegally cut down forests in Tsaghkadzor. Zarukjan dismissed all allegations of itself.
After the Armenian team returned from the 2004 Summer Olympics without a medal, Zarukjan, who himself was 1996 World Champion and 1998 European Champion in Armwrestling, was elected on 22 November 2004 as Chairman of the Armenian National Olympic Committee. In his inaugural speech, he said: " Should I 2007 Note that we do not have athletes who achieve a first or second place in European or World Championships, then I'll have to think about Uzbek, Russian or Georgian athletes to the Armenian flag [ at the Olympic Games 2008] blow to see. "
In the second half of 2005 represented a Zarukjan absence record under the Members of Parliament. He was absent from at least 171 out of 205 votes. The reason he gave to his business activities. In January 2006 Zakurjan announced to start the party " Prosperous Armenia ".
Zarukjans income estimated to have amounted to 150 million U.S. dollars in 2006. On 31 March 2006 reported ArmInfo that Zakurjan had sold its interest in the Kotayk brewery for 4 million U.S. dollars, to Pierre Castel, who therefore owns 100% of the shares.
In the parliamentary elections of May 12, 2007 his party Prosperous Armenia reached around 15 %, and went with 24 deputies in the National Assembly ( Armenia). Zarukjan won here again his constituency, in the first place no opposing candidate was begun.
Private
Zarukjan is married and has six children. On his property he has a zoo with bears, deer, a tiger and a lion. He runs several strength and combat sports at a high level (he was 1996 World Champion and 1998 European Champion in Armwrestling ).