An exclusive interview with Azat Sargsyan, father of RA President Serzh Sargsyan.

Mr. Sargsyan, where do you hail from?

I was born in the Goris village of Tegh in 1929. My parents are from the same village. I’m a blacksmith by trade and worked at the GharMetaks factory for 50 year in the tool and die unit. I was never given a reprimand by any of the 12 directors the factory had over those years.

I guess that factory no longer exists.

I retired in 1993. The factory doesn’t exist today. It was levelled. Every time I pass by the site my heart skips a beat.

Why did you move to Stepanakert?

In 1937 my father Avetis was banished as a Trotskyite. Of course it was a lie. My father was a common working man. What did he know about Trotsky? My older brother, who had finished the 9th grade, was offered a job at the school. But after my father was exiled they refused, calling him a son of a Trotskyite. My mother was scared that they would come after him so the family sent Ghoukas to Karabakh, to my aunt’s house. Sometime later the rest of the family relocated as well to Stepanakert. I was eight at the time. I wasn’t accepted at the school. They said I was also the son of a Trotskyite. I never got passed the 3rd grade.

Our mother kept us alive by donating blood for which she got paid. My mother used to wear the traditional Zangezour dress back in Tegh with a silver headband. She was a very conservative woman. But when we got to Stepanakert, everybody looked at her funny. She was forced to wear contemporary clothes. The first time she put on regular clothes, she wouldn’t leave the house for three days out of embarrassment.

Did your father ever return?

No, he died in exile. My wife and I have always lived in Stepanakert at 117 Grigor Lousavorich Street. When you come to Stepanakert ask for Azat the blacksmith’s house. They’ll show you where it is. Our door is always open. We visit Yerevan to see our boys and the grandchildren.

Where were you when the war broke out?

In Karabakh, of course.

It must have been difficult. Why didn’t you move to Yerevan?

Sure it was tough. War isn’t easy. But how could we move? What would they say about us and about our boys?

I know that you travel about without a bodyguard. Is that true?

My wife spent one and a half years at the LechKommisariat getting her broken leg treated. I’d take a taxi to see here. They’d ask me – You also use a taxi? Why don’t they give you a car and a bodyguard? I would answer – Why? What have I ever done to anyone to need a bodyguard?

Maybe you haven’t done anything, but it could be that others want to inflict pain on your sons through you.

My sons are people who work and feel pain for this country.I believe in them. They’d never do wrong to others.

Once, I heard a rumour alleging that I own a five story house here in Stepanakert. Those saying such a thing came and saw for themselves. I have a two story house built with my own hands. The door is always open.

Mr. Sargsyan, did you name your sons?

No, it was my mother Satenik. It was her prerogative.

Which of your sons most resembles you in terms of personality?

I couldn’t say. It’s their call. All three are different in terms of character but all share certain traits.

All your sons are public figures, in the spotlight. How do you cope with that?

Who wouldn’t be pleased that their sons have made their mark? Anyone would be glad to see that their children have reached their goals.

Do you ever get bothered by the bad things people say about them?

Of course, especially when there is no basis for such talk. Then again, some of the criticism is correct and food for thought.

Do you visit your sons often, given that they are really busy?

We met when it’s convenient. But it’s enough for me to know that they are healthy and everything is well at home. Usually, we try to meet as often as possible.

When your son became president, what changed inside you? Did you feel pride or become boastful?

No, I never became a braggart but I did feel pride and a heavy sense of responsibility. I am really satisfied with the way my children have turned out. They have never disgraced me. A president must respect the people to gain their respect in turn. And I’d say that’s the way it is. But I’ve remained the same man as before, their father.

What’s the most important thing in life?

To have children, grandkids and great-grandkids and that they reach their goals in life. To have kids, yep that’s the most important. I don’t need gold and I never had any. My wish to all is that they have children, that they get an education and reach their goals. That they are a credit to society and our country.

P.S. – This interview was conducted in June of 2011 by Hayatsk