Karen Karapetyan was born on March 2, 1961 in the village of Gharakilisa in the Kalinino region.

Mr. Karapetyan graduated from the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute in 1982 and from Rostov on Don (Russia) Highest Political School in 1989. He is an engineer-mechanic, political scientist and economist.

From 1982-1983 he was a teacher in Kalinino region. From 1983-1985 he worked first as an engineer and later senior engineer in a hail fighting team. From 1985-1987 he worked first as a head of the rural department of LCYU Tachir Regional Committee and later as its secretary. From 1988-1989 he was an Instructor in Tashir Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. He spent the next four years as the gen­eral director of SIK Industrial and Commercial Company (Rostov on Don) and from 1993-1999 he was the director of Tashir Silver Plates Factory and later president of the board.

1995-1999 was his first term as a deputy in the NA (electoral district # 139) and he was on the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and was also a member of the Reforms Deputy Group.

1999-2003 was his second term as a deputy in the NA (electoral district # 50) and he was on the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs, was the secretary of the Stability Deputy Group and later became the leader of the “People's Deputy” Deputy Group.

On May 25, 2003 he was reelected to the NA from electoral district # 39 and he is on the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs. He heads the “People's Deputy” Deputy Group.  From Jule 22, 2006 he is a member of the Republican Party of Armenia. 

Mr. Karapetyan is married and has three children.