# Mkhitar Hayrapetyan

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan (Armenian: Մխիթար Հայրապետյան; born May 15, 1990) is the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia. He formerly served as Minister of Diaspora of Armenia from May 11, 2018, to January 11, 2019. On 9 December 2018, Hayrapetyan was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Armenia from the territorial electoral list of the electoral district #1 of the My Step Alliance of parties. Since 18 January 2019, Hayrapetyan is the Chairman of the Standing committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport. He also served as the head of the Armenian delegation at the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Mkhitar Hayrpetyan and Sebastian Kurz were the only ministers in Europe to be assigned to their role at the age of 27.

## Education

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan entered Yerevan State University Faculty of Oriental Studies, division of "Turkey" and received a Master's degree in 2011-2013. Between 2012-2013, he was a member of the Student Scientific Society of the Faculty of the Oriental Studies and Student Council of the YSU. Between 2007-2011, he studied at Yerevan State University, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Department of "Turkey" and received a Bachelor degree.
Mkhitar Hayrapetyan graduated from N127 school in Yerevan.

## Career

In 2011, he founded the Young Politicians Association, and as of April 2015, he was the vice president of the organization. In January 2016, he became the founding president of the Civic Education and Youth Development Center. From 2010 to 2017, in parallel with his public-political activities, he worked for several local newspapers as an expert on the Middle East, particularly on Turkey.

## Political career

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan is one of the founding members of the Civil Contract Party. In December 2016, he was elected chairman of the Nor-Nork regional organization of Civil Contract, simultaneously being included in the political council of the party. From 2016 to 2018, he was the party's Coordinator on Diaspora Affairs. On December 9, 2018, Hayrapetyan was elected Member of the National Assembly from the territorial electoral list of the electoral district #1 of the "My Step" alliance of parties. Since 18 January 2019, the Chairman of the Standing committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport. Head of Armenian delegation at the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.

## Minister of Diaspora

On May 11, 2018 Armen Sargsyan, the former Armenian President, appointed Hayrapetyan as Minister of Diaspora on the recommendation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, by the 150th paragraph of the Constitution.
Hayrapetyan initiated the reorganization of the "Come Home" program and the exclusion of previous abuses.
During his official visits to Cyprus and the USA, he met with the President of Cyprus, representatives of Armenian communities, and other high-ranking officials of these countries. He embarked on deepening further cooperation and implementing new programs.
On September 24–27, a delegation headed by the Minister of Diaspora, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, had a working visit to Cyprus. During the official visit, he had a meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades.
From July 27 to August 7, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan had a working visit to the United States of America. He visited Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, where he had meetings with a number of politicians and members of the Armenian community.
On September 20–22, a delegation headed by the Minister of Diaspora, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, had a working visit to the Syrian Arab Republic. It is noteworthy that since 2011, when the Syrian war started, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan is the first official representative of Armenia to visit Aleppo.
On September 20–22, a delegation headed by the Minister of Diaspora, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, had a working visit to the Lebanese Republic. The Minister of Diaspora, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, visited Anjar and later Beirut. He had meetings with the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Aram I, and the Armenian community.
On September 24–27, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan visited the Arab Republic of Egypt, where he had meetings with representatives of the Armenian community and the Prime Minister of Egypt.