Paruyr Hayrikyan, who participated in the open forum, entitled “From Human Rights to Absolute Democracy” launched on August 8 in Noyemberyan city, was asked about the state symbols of Armenia. With respect to the national anthem, Hayrikyan said, “Ten days ago I was talking on the phone with the Prime Minister. We were old and good colleagues in the Parliament, I know that he has a certain idea about the national, I introduce him our today’s to our anthem, I am saying, listen, I have applied to the government two years ago, I have applied, and I have received a response from you that you approve my submitted project. Then I was invited to the Ministry of Culture, they had gathered the leaders of all creative unions, and I have introduced by project in their presence. The music will remain the same; the singing will be changed a little bit, because we can not change what we have by the Constitution.
Can you imagine that on the day of assuming the office the national anthem is sung and, and only the President’s, the First Lady was singing. More than a thousand people were just standing, they are politicians, the symbols of our national, and political life. The Prime Minister was listening, and is saying, “Can you explain in a few words, in the course of five minutes I say that there cannot be the following phrase in our anthem:
Here is a flag for you, my brother,
That I have sewn Over the sleepless nights,
Read also
And bathed in my tears.
Imagine the officers are standing and singing.
It can’t happen, they cannot sing it. This quatrain should be removed, let’s take another quatrain from Mikael Albanian, in addition, the final part … We are “clung” to Mikael Nalbandian, because the self-defense of city of Van proceeded under this song, the Armenian soldiers went to Sardarabad under this song, and in 1988 the main, nation uniting song was:
Death is the same everywhere,
A man dies but once,
Blessed is the one that dies,
For the freedom of his nation.
This is a formula, for us, the members of United National Party, it had been a formula, and it gave us strength. Yes, the symbols can also be changed, but the symbol symbolizes the level of your people in given field. Tomorrow we will have a different level, it will change accordingly.”
Voskan SARGSYAN
