Hayk Marutyan Responds to Public Demand: The Main Christmas Tree Does Not Have an Astronomical Price

The public reaction has been lively, especially in admiration, with most people very happy about this Christmas tree. I myself am very pleased as a resident of Yerevan.

This was stated yesterday by Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan during a brief interview with reporters, responding to a question about whether the public's strong and negative reactions regarding the expenses for the Yerevan Christmas tree were justified.

“I assure you that the price is not actually high for this; it was the public's demand to have a new Christmas tree. I am already noticing the joy on social media, and that joy belongs to all Armenians,” the mayor remarked.

When asked if it was worth allocating such an amount of money for the Christmas tree purchase, he replied, “We have saved quite a large amount from the events for Yerevan's 2800th anniversary; this was a very small part of the saved funds, and I assure you that this joy was worth it. I should also mention that the amount mentioned included expenses for lighting, decorations, and assembly, not just for the tree.”

He added that astronomical prices were not paid for the Christmas tree.

It should be noted that the Yerevan Municipality has spent 70 million dram on the country’s main Christmas tree. The 35-meter-tall main Christmas tree, which is artificial and produced in Russia, includes its transportation, assembly, 1,500 decorations, and more than 200 kilometers of LED lights.