Thursday, April 4 2019 16:01

ArmInfo. Already former director of the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theater Konstantin Orbelyan does not consider the arguments of the Ministry of Culture about the  illegality of his appointment convincing.

"Former Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan appointed me to this  position, it turns out that he appointed me in violation of the law.   Then, why are the claims against me, let the new government sue the  former government, let us say, Amiryan, and how does that has  anything to do with me?," Orbelyan, reiterating that he intends to  appeal the decision of the Ministry of Culture of his dismissal in  court. According to Orbelyan, the arguments of his lawyers will prove  the groundlessness of the charges against Acting Culture Minister  Nazeni Gharibyan.

According to Orbelyan, the new government initially sought his  departure: "But I said that I would not voluntarily go, and they  decided to dismiss me". Commenting on his earlier statement that when  leaving the theater he would take away all the property that the  theater had acquired solely with his assistance, Orbelyan noted: "If  I leave, all this property will be transferred to the Yerevan Music  School named after Konstantin Orbelyan>. He noticed that a lot of  issues in the theater were decided at the expense of sponsorship. For  which he personally applied and received.

<Yes, I spend my money, and the funds of our sponsors to create  performances because the state has no money for it. For example, I  needed a new production of <Carmen> or <The Magic Flute> for touring  in Dubai, but the state did not help us, despite the fact that 1.5  years ago the Ministry of Culture signed an order to allocate 50  thousand dollars to cover air tickets. But after <revolution> we were  told that they don't have this money, "Orbelyan explained.

Commenting on the accumulated debt in the amount of 92 million drams,  he said that he had nothing to do with these debts and <inherited>  them from the previous leadership of the theater. <I started to lead  the theater in February 2017, the audit results covered the  2014-2016. Nazeni Gharibyan herself stated that I have nothing to do  with these debts. However, lately, we have been negotiating with the  Ministry of Culture to pay these debts by holding performances for  schoolchildren, but, unfortunately, negotiations have been  interrupted, and now we pay them back as far as possible, "he  explained.

Speaking about his resignation, he noted that his dismissal had  become a powerful public relations campaign for Armenia, for himself  and for the Opera and Ballet Theater. <The whole world now knows that  there is the Opera Theater in Yerevan and Konstantin Orbelyan. Now  everyone is interested in me, what I do in Armenia, everyone wants to  come, see, even journalists from all over the world want to come>, he  said.

Commenting on the rumors about his connection with the former  authorities, and in particular, former First Lady Rita Sargsyan,  thanks to which, according to exaggerated information, he was  appointed head of the theater, and what caused his resignation,  Orbelian said: "I was appointed because that I am Konstantin  Orbelyan. I was appointed not by friendship, but by service," he  explained. It should be noted that Orbelyan's resignation caused a  wide public response. The Ministry of Culture, however, assured that  it only observes the norms of the law, since one and the same person  cannot occupy several managerial positions at once, meanwhile,  Orbelyan is part-time director and artistic director of the Opera and  Ballet Theater.