He assures that there is no need for Volochkova and generally, such services “provided from outside.”
Today Razmik Zohrabyan, a deputy leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), assured that the mayor of Yerevan, Taron Margaryan, slept 3-4 hours at night; he wanted to turn Yerevan into Paris. www.aravot.am inquired of Armen Martirosyan, the candidate for mayor of the Hello Yerevan Coalition, what capital he would make Yerevan similar to and what he was going to turn it into. Armen Martirosyan replied: “I am going to turn Yerevan into Yerevan and to restore the color of Yerevan that existed in the past. I by no means want to turn it into either Paris or Rome or Berlin. Yerevan should first of all be Yerevan with its way of life, with its unique Yerevan atmosphere, with its warm human relations.” Armen Martirosyan said that he dreams of such an atmosphere that will not make people sleep 3-4 hours at night, under conditions of struggle. “I want such tasks not to be taken on in the first place. What has been done so far doesn’t correspond to any norms, any logic, therefore, I will have to create such conditions that will allow me to sleep normally at night during the next 4 years, every person to do his job, a community officer to do his duty, not to be engaged in bringing votes, educational institutions to perform their function, entrepreneurs of Yerevan to be offered an opportunity of acting freely, not their interests to be subordinated to the interests of big businesses and ensure huge income for them.” Taron Margaryan has been severely criticized on social networks and in the press for bringing Anastasia Volochkova, a famous ballerina from neighboring Russia, to Yerevan, having her participate in the concerts in the capital, and her photos in revealing apparel. In response to our question what was an alternative to Volochkova, Armen Martirosyan said: “I don’t have an alternative to Volochkova. I have certain perceptions what both the cultural life and the festive events in Yerevan should be like. I think that Armenia has many real artists, male and female singers, and they are the very people who should ensure that uniqueness of the Yerevan atmosphere.” In response to a question whether he would not invite Volochkova, he said: “I certainly won’t take such a step. In any case, I think that we are such a talented nation that our musicians enrich events in other places. I don’t think that there is any need for such services provided from outside. I have my own system of values, which includes also perceptions of art and culture. However, I will not be guided primarily by my perceptions, there are professionals – art critics, actors, singers – and I should not impose my taste on
them, but rather they should impose their taste on all of us.” He also criticized Taron Margaryan for a non-Christian approach. “How appropriate scheduling a voskresnik for Palm Sunday was?”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
