Tigran Avinyan on dismissal of Konstantin Orbelyan: There can be no  privileged in any field, including the cultural sector

ArmInfo."Everyone is equal before the law," Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said in an interview with journalists, referring to the release of Konstantin Orbelyan  from the post of Director of the National Academic Theatre of Opera  and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan.

"Respecting the merits of Mr. Orbelyan, nevertheless, privileged in  any sector, including the sector of culture, cannot be," he said.

When asked whether it's a violation of the law that Deputy Culture  Minister Nazeni Gharibyan herself (who signed the order for  Orbelyan's release, Ed. note) has dual citizenship to France and  Armenia, and occupies a state post, Avinyan said that there should be  no violation of the law. "The post of minister does not allow you to  have dual citizenship, the deputy minister is allowed. In general,  the issue is very sensitive, and if we want to further involve  representatives of the diaspora in our public and political life,  then I am sure that this policy needs to be revised," vice premier.

Earlier today, the staff of the National Academic Theatre of Opera  and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan held a protest outside the building  of the Government of the Republic, demanding the cancellation of the  order acting of Minister of Culture of Armenia Nazeni Gharibyan on  the dismissal of director of the theater Konstantin Orbelyan. Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan received culture workers. "At the moment we  are satisfied with the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia  Nikol Pashinyan," said the conductor Harutyun Arzumanyan, who,  together with 6 other employees of the theater, met with the Prime  Minister. According to him, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers  guaranteed that no one would be appointed to the position of director  today before the theater staff studied the reasons for the dismissal  of Konstantin Orbelyan.

The duties of the director of the Opera will be assigned to the  deputy director, and Orbelyan will continue to perform the functions  of artistic director. "The guarantees are valid until the theater's  staff refuted the arguments presented to the prime minister by the  ministry, on the basis of which Orbelyan was dismissed.  A number of  the ministry's arguments be out of character to reality Mr Prime  Minister said that if at least one of the points presented by the  Ministry of Culture was false, the one who submitted them would  immediately be punished and released from work, "the conductor noted.

To recall, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Armenia, Nazeni  Gharibyan, by decree of March 28 of this year relieved Konstantin  Orbelyan of the post of Director of the National Academic Theatre of  Opera and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan. As the basis of K. Orbelyan's  release from office, the Ministry of Culture cites article 15 of the  Law of the Republic of Armenia <On state non- profit organizations>,  which states: <A person appointed to the position of director of SNCO  may not occupy another position or perform other paid work than  scientific , pedagogical and creative work.  Konstantin Orbelyan,  besides the director of the National Academic Theatre  of  Opera and  Ballet after A. Spendiaryan, also held the position of artistic  director. On March 29, Gharibyan announced that the name of the new  director of the Opera Theater will be known on April 1.  Orbelyan  himself stated that in this case he would leave the theater  altogether.