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.