Nouneh Sarkissian

Nouneh Sarkissian
First Lady of Armenia
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 April 2018
President	Armen Sarkissian
Preceded by	Rita Sargsyan
Personal details
Born	Նունե Սարգսյան (1954-03-26) March 26, 1954 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Spouse	Armen Sarkissian ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	2
Residence	Residence of the President of Armenia
Occupation	Author
Religion	Armenian Apostolic Church
Website	Official website

Nouneh Sarkissian (Armenian: Նունե Սարգսյան, born 1954) is the wife of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and is the current First Lady of Armenia.

Education

Nouneh Sarkissian graduated from the Department of Romano - Germanic Languages of Yerevan State University. Studied at Goldsmiths College, London University and graduated with MA degree in History of Arts. Received specialization in Art Studies at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Later, continued her studies in painting and drawing at Westminster College, London.

Professional activities

Nouneh Sarkissian worked at Matenadaran - the Mesrop Mashtots Scientific Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. She has authored multiple essays and reviews on art, culture, and music which were published in Armenia, the United States, and a number of European countries. She also organized a number of exhibitions and concerts of classical music in different concert halls. She is the author of more than two dozen children’s books in Armenian, Russian, and English. Some of her fairy tales have been published in Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian as well as in dialects of Artsakh, Gavar and Gyumri. Some of her fairy tales, such as the Bald Hedgehog, have been staged at the State Puppet Theater and Tzuk Mzuk has been on the stage of Karapet Puppet Theatre. Nouneh Sarkissian was appointed by UNICEF an extraordinary defender of children.

Honours

Foreign honour

• Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (25 July 2018)