Anna Hakobyan

Anna Vachiki Hakobyan (Աննա Վաչիկի Հակոբյան; born February 1, 1978) is an Armenian journalist and the wife of the current Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. She is the editor-in-chief of the Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times) newspaper. Unofficially, Hakobyan is regarded as the "First Lady of Armenia", a position that is reserved for the spouses of the President of Armenia.

Education and career
Anna Hakobyan was born on February 1, 1978, in the Armenian SSR. She graduated from the Yerevan State University. After she graduated, she began working as a journalist in Armenia. She is currently the editor-in-chief of the largest newspaper in Armenia, Haykakan Zhamanak.

2018 Velvet Revolution
Hakobyan played an active role in the 2018 Armenian revolution, which were a series of anti-government peaceful mass protests in response to the past president's third consecutive term. On May 8, 2018, Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister.

Spouse of the Prime Minister
Hakobyan became the official spouse of the prime minister on May 8, 2018, following her husband's election as prime minister.

Charity work
Just after the election, Hakobyan initiated a meeting with the charitable organisations involved in pediatric cancer and specialists. During the meeting session under her leadership, a working group to improve the state of pediatric cancer in Armenia was formed. Currently, a charitable foundation, of which Hakobyan is the Honorary President, is in the formation process to support the development of pediatric oncology and hematology in Armenia.

On 7 September 2023, Hakobyan personally handed over 1,000+ smartphones, tablets and laptops for primary schoolchildren at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine. This was Armenia’s first humanitarian aid for Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022.

2020 War
During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, Hakobyan went through a week-long training program for combat. She founded the Erato Detachment, which is the first all-women military unit in the Armenian Armed Forces.