Today lot of the monument to Arno Babajanyan will at last become clear. The Arts Council discusses 2 versions in the closed session – either the monument will remain at the same place after some changes are made or will be removed. Recently a heated discussion regarding the monument has been held in Yerevan’s Municipality. Some of the art critics invited to discussion demanded to dismantle...

“I’m embarrassed” . This is the reaction of MP Sergey Israelyan to Yerevan Mayor Robert Nazaryan’s statement - “All we build is for Yerevan townsfolk” . The question is about the monument to Arno Babajanyan, having raised clamour recently. Today Mayor Robert Nazaryan invited the intelligentsia to hold a discussion to find out the conflicting standpoints, to find any solution to them and not to look for those guilty. The Mayor said...

“Arno Babajanyan’s statue resembles a vampire rather than a great composer”, a number of art critics say. The monument has to be dismantled before opening ceremony, they said at press conference held today in the House of Journalists. “There is absolutely no resemblance with Arno Babajanyan. It is no more than a nasty grin at the composer and his legacy”, Babajanyan’s friend Alexander Harutyunyan said. Composer Edvard Mirzoyan blamed...

"My film is about living with ghosts" . Atom Egoyan comments upon his "Ararat" film this way. It is based upon the real events of the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire in 20th century. Today the Armenian producer from Canada held a press conference. Atom Egoyan and his wife, Arsine Khanjyan are happy to be in Armenia. They are also happy that "Ararat" is screened in the Homeland...

Armenian Government approved draft law on health and human rights. Health Minister Ararat Mkrtchyan attaches a great importance to this law, as infertility rate in Armenia is increasingly climbing up. 32 men in Armenia can’t have a baby. The law stipulates women’s right for artificial insemination. The minister says, so far, the problem is being solved by trilateral consent between parents and medical centre. But, the issue is in need to be...

The session of Trustees' and Youth's Council of Words Culture Center after Mesrop Mashtots held today. There are 15 members in the Council. Some of them are art critics Silva Kaputikyan, Razmik Davoyan, Sos Sargsyan. Parliament Speaker Armen Khachatryan is in the Council, too. Center Head Nadejda Antonyan said some progress was fixed within a 3-year-long activity of the Center . There were 6-7...

American photographer Joel Meyerovitz exhibition dedicated to the September 11 terrorist attack opened today in Yerevan. Meyerovitz was the only one, who was allowed to photograph recovery works. Whole archive comprises 5,000 pictures. 28 of them are exposed in Yerevan. The pictures show a horrifying effect of terrorism.

On June the 4-th the Day of National Library of Armenia has been celebrated for the 4-th year. At 10:00 AM today festive measures began in the National Library. About 10 exhibitions were opened, presentations of new books took place and the winners of the competition on "The Best Librarian" were given prizes.

An exhibition of Armenian miniature of IX to XIV centuries was opened Monday in the foyer of CE Parliamentary Assembly. The exhibition was organised by Parliamentary Delegation and Standing Armenian Delegation in CE.

Armenian composer Loris Chgnavoryan was decorated with a First-Class order in the culture field of Iran. Chgnavoryan was awarded the order by the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Orientation after having perfomed in one of the prestigious concert halls of Teheran.

Today, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Armen Khachatryan addressed “Grakan Tert” newspaper with congratulation on its 70 anniversary, saying one of the best traditions of the newspaper are immediate reaction to literature events and their timely highlighting.

Today a congress was held with the participation of the Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, the vice-minister of Armenia's culture and cultural workers. The aim of the congress was to to summarize the work done and discuss the further activity . The Armenian art critics were satisfied with that the Armenian-Iranian cultural relations are prospering at present . The cultural workers of both countries...

Aram Khachatryan was one of those composers of genious who made the world know the Armenians, - reminded today people having visited the grave of the composer to honor his memory. It was no mere chance that UNESCO announced the 2003 as the Year of Aram Khachatryan. The museum of Aram Khachatryan celebrated the composer's birthday for the 24-th time. Every year on 6th of June, young talented pupils...

"The Grandmother" by Roberto Kosa for the second time will be performed in Armenia on May the 25-th. First the play was performed in 1999 by Galust Jansezyan's / Argentina / "Theatre" cultural centre. This time it will be performed with the participation of the actors of Young Audience Theatre.The play is about a gluttonous Grandmother and how gluttony splits her family. But as the producer Hakob Ghazanchyan...

Today Armen Khachatryan, the Speaker of Armenian National Assembly, hosted Armen Jigharkhanyan, the famous Armenian actor who lives in Russia, in the House of Parliament. Issues on culture development were discussed during the talk. Armen Khachatryan told the stories about latest cultural events taking place in Armenia. Armen Jigharkhanyan expressed his opinion about current situation and the future,...

Today some intellectuals held a sitting called "Our language, our school" to appraise the urgent problems of Armenian language. Those to have made speeches thought that last 10-12 years' innovations led to that majority of the Youth can't speak Armenian properly. One of the innovations is bilinguistic system use in schools which gives rise to growth of generation that have no good command of any language,-...

100 students of Centre for Word Culture are trying to get their coevals interested in the national culture of Armenia. Today the young masters of word gave a joint concert with the State Academic Chor led by Hovhannes Chekijyan. In fact, young generations are getting familirized with their national culture, against tasteless cultural realities, says Nadezhda Antonyan, the Director of the Center.

The authors of the exhibition on the Easter Holiday suggest to decorate houses with the compositions and collages shown in the exhibition. Generally, Easter has its own holiday-tree - a branch that is decorated with eggs, lady-birds, chickens. Sona Tashchyan has been organizing such exhibitions since 1990. Young artists as well participate in them."No special materials are used for the compositions",-...

Today, on the International day of the Theater, one of the Yerevan streets was called after famous actor Mher Mkrtchyan. The Academic theater after Sundukyan will open its 80th theatrical period with the evening dedicated to the talanted actor. Mher Mkrtchyan’s friends told that his good wish was playing Othello. “Don’t pay attention to my big nose and not handsome appearance. That’s my role,” -he said telling the whole Sheakspeare work...

Today, on the Theatre International Day eve, "Artavazd" annual awards took place. 13 theatres of the country participated in that. The best play of last year was "Ruined hearth" by Gabriel Sundukyan. The play was produced by Armen Elbakyan. It is shown in Russian Dramatic Theatre by Stanislavski.The Academy Theatre by Sundukyan was the one get the most of rewards.

Today is the day of Tsaghazard – flower adorning. Tsaghkazard is celebrated a week before Eastern. Due to Apostolic Church this holiday symbolizes Jesus Christ’s victorious entrance Jerusalem as a Messiah. Jews met Jesus Christ with olive-tree brunches and laid way with cloths. In our churches willow brunches are blessed and delivered to people.

The writer and literary critic as well as the France Ambassador of Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Armenia Henry Cuny met with students of Valeri Bryusov Linguistics University. The University is the only educational institution in Armenia that is the member of Frenchspeaking countries colleges. That's why Armenia celebrates the Frenchspeaking week.Henry Cuny refered to relationship between real...

Every year this day the Vice President of France is sending a congratulation to 500 mln citizens of all Frankophonia member countries. Though Armenia is not a member country of Frankophonia it is the 7th year that the day of French culture and language is celebrated in Armenia. The ambassador of France in Armenia Henry Cuny stated today that everything should be done for Armenia to become a member...

Today the first stage results of panarmenian song-competition "Sayat-Nova" were overviewed. There were represented 145 songs, 68 from which moved to the second stage. The prize for the first place cons titutes 2500 dollars. Last year it was 4500.