Low-Quality Revelry at Aznavour Square: City Hall's Response

“There is low-quality revelry at Aznavour Square, in front of Moscow Cinema. High-class music, including jazz and reggae, has echoed in this square. Yerevan City Hall, along with the disbanded Ministry of Culture, which you're part of, where are you?” wrote a user named Arshaluis Mghdesyan on their Facebook page, sharing a video.

Shortly after, Yerevan City Hall's spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan responded. We present his statement in full:

“Regarding the concert held at Aznavour Square in Yerevan the other day, I inform you of the following: 1. The concert was not organized by Yerevan City Hall; thus, no public funds were spent on the concert, and the concert program was not composed by the city hall. 2. There was a deviation from the concert program presented to the city hall for approval. 3. There are no legal norms regulating a clear criterion for allowing or denying the performance of a specific artist in a given location. Recently, discussions have been taking place with the initiative of Yerevan Deputy Mayor Tigran Virabyan and Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Ara Khzmalyan to find a solution to this issue.”