Wedding Held in Norashen Sanctuary; Minister Calls It Unacceptable

The Minister of Environment of Armenia, Romanos Petrosyan, took to Facebook to address an incident he deems an "Unacceptable Approach." In his post, he referenced a series of photographs published by one of the organizations organizing wedding ceremonies, which showed that a wedding was taking place within the Norashen sanctuary area of the Sevan National Park.

The wedding occurred on August 25, with approximately 50-60 attendees. The Minister expressed concern that their presence and movement in the area could disturb the local birdlife and have negative consequences.

“Of course, we wish happiness to the newlyweds, but we find it unacceptable to hold wedding celebrations in specially protected natural areas,” Petrosyan stated.

Article 18 of the Armenian law on specially protected natural areas stipulates the conservation regime for state reserves. In the territory of a state reserve, any activity that disrupts the sustainability of the ecosystem or threatens the preservation of ecosystems, flora, and fauna that require special protection, as well as objects of scientific or cultural heritage, is prohibited.

The Ministry of Environment has repeatedly informed the public that this extremely beautiful location on the shores of Lake Sevan is a specially protected natural area and is not intended for organizing private gatherings.