I Wasn't Dancing with Prime Minister Pashinyan, I Was Dancing with Man Pashinyan: Silva Antonyan

On October 26, the Vanadzor festival took place, attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife, Anna Hakobyan. During the festive concert, the Prime Minister was seen dancing a waltz with a woman who was later identified as Silva Antonyan, the director of the Vanadzor Culture House.

In an interview with ArmDaily.am, she shared that those sitting next to her jokingly said that someone should invite the Prime Minister to dance, so she went ahead and did just that. “At first, he didn’t hear what I was saying, but then he understood and happily accepted my invitation. I had no guarantee that he would dance, but he accepted with great delight,” she said.

When asked if they talked while dancing, Silva Antonyan replied: “No. We were enjoying the dance. He only asked my name, and I said, ‘Silva.’ At the end, he kissed my hand, that was all.”

This year’s Vanadzor festival was particularly vibrant and large-scale. The fountains added beauty to the celebration, as did the Prime Minister’s presence, who, rather than just speaking and leaving, stayed until the end and celebrated with the people of Vanadzor. That was a commendable gesture,” she noted.

The woman from Vanadzor recalled asking those sitting nearby if they had taken any photos, wishing she had at least one. “I wasn’t dancing with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; I was dancing with man Pashinyan,” she remarked.