ArmInfo."Judging by some publications in the media, one gets the impression that Konstantin Orbelyan was left from the works of Opera, while he was relieved of his post as director, and prior to the order he was director and artistic director," said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, taking the group Employees of the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander Spendiaryan.
Culture workers held a protest outside the government building of the republic this morning, demanding the cancellation of the order of acting Minister of Culture Nazeni Gharibyan on the dismissal of the director of the theater Konstantin Orbelyan.
According to the press service of the head of government, Pashinyan during the meeting offered to lead the discussion based on facts. First of all, as the Prime Minister noted, the Ministry of Justice recorded on August 11, 2018 that Konstantin Orbelyan was appointed director in violation of the law. And the discussion in the Ministry of Justice was initiated on the basis of complaints from citizens. "The law obliges the government and the Ministry of Culture to terminate the authority of a person appointed or elected to the post in the executive body by decision of the authorized body if there has been a violation of the law," Pashinyan explained.
In addition, according to the head of the Cabinetof Ministers, he was informed that in 2017, Orbelyan 12 times (110 days) was sent to various countries and actually was out of work for 135 days. In 2018, 194 days were absent, of which 20 days were on unpaid leave. According to the results of inspections, the Ministry of Finance of Armenia for 2017 recorded violations amounting to 92 million drams, of which during 2017- 2018 10 million 576 thousand 400 drams were restored. "If the amount is restored, then the violations were recognized as such," he stressed.
At the same time, according to Pashinyan, violations of the law were recorded several times in the theater's activities. Numerous employees were fired in violation of the law. The Ministry instructed to eliminate the violations, but Orbelyan refused to do so, presenting unreasonable reasons.
At the same time, from the middle of 2016 Orbelyan himself was appointed artistic director of the theater. On February 3, 2017, on the orders of the Minister of Culture, the director's obligations were also imposed on him, and on August 2, 2017, Orbelyan was appointed to the position of director out of competition, continuing to occupy the staff unit of the artistic director. And by order of the director of the Opera and Ballet Theater of May 29, 2017, he was also reinstated as chief conductor, who is called "artistic director - chief conductor. In fact, as the premier pointed out, Konstantin Orbelyan occupies three states - director, artistic director and conductor.
The head of the government assured: "If at least one of the points presented by the Ministry of Culture does not correspond to reality, the plenipotentiary person will immediately be released from work. If the law is in effect, then everyone must obey him," Nikol Pashinyan stressed. According to him, the solution of the question cannot be based on personal sympathies or antipathies.
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 Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander 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 reads: pedagogical and creative work. Konstantin Orbelyan, besides the director of the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander 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.
Kostantin Orbelyan, along with a brilliant pianist career, has also developed a wide range of activities in the opera field as a conductor and artistic director. In particular, in 1991-2009 he was artistic director and chief conductor of the State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia. In 2003, Orbelyan, the first foreigner who does not have Russian citizenship, was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of Russia. In 2012, he was awarded the Order of Friendship for his great contribution to the popularization of Russian culture outside Russia.