www.aravot.am had information that Armen Mazmanyan, the rector of Yerevan Institute of Theater and Cinema, and Hasmik Poghosyan, the Minister of Culture, had a joint travel enterprise related to Italy, in particular. During a conversation with us, Armen Mazmanyan confirmed that he really had a share in the Festa Tour Avia company that organized Yerevan-Rome-Yerevan flights.
“Hasmik has nothing to do with it, I am, I registered Festa Tour Avia long time ago… Generally, I have kept my theater and earned my living through private business all of my life. It functions also today, although they try to destroy it, because our country has oligarchic problems in every sphere. Therefore, you are welcome to Festa Tour Avia, yes, I have a share in that company. It is a serious company still having debts and credits, but it supplies European service, welcome…” said businessman-rector.
Then he added, “I was compelled to sell gas and flour in 1990, in order to establish the ‘Goy’ theater and to keep it for 20 years, I am proud of that and I will do that, because I cannot take bribe as a rector to earn my living. I love much money, in order to be free, to see the world, to make the payment, when my students cannot pay. I want to retain my lifestyle, I have always had private enterprise and I will always have. I am not like that MP – it turns out that he is not the one, his wife is… The government supports too, the Italian tourism has increased by 200 percent in two years, is it bad? We make ourselves known to the world and integrate in the world. It is serious business, it is not like growing tomatoes, we don’t earn yet, we are in debt.”
Armen Mazmanyan also complained that his friends were always “taken” to the Cabinet, as bad luck would have it, which created inconveniences for both him and his friends, “For example, the Prime Minister, Hasmik… Thus I lose friends, not to mention doing business with them.”
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Gohar HAKOBYAN
