Government Residences Had Not Seen So Many Guests in Their Time: Anna Hakobyan

Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia, wrote on her Facebook page: “The grounds of the government residences had not seen so many guests in their time. For us, the citizens of Armenia, it was almost mystical to understand what the environment was like inside the gate stretching along Proshyan Street. Yesterday, around 600 people from all over Armenia were at the Prime Minister's residence.

A video caught my eye, where a man was complaining that they had to leave early because they were standing the whole time. With all due respect, of course, the event was exclusively for women; the invitation was addressed to mothers. They stood, sat, smiled, cried, expressed dissatisfaction, and showed warmth all at once. We lived that day together.

There is also the fact that we chose a buffet format to create the most relaxed atmosphere possible, allowing women to stroll, meet, and interact with each other while the children ran around. However, it might not be so easy to feel completely at ease in a space that has been perceived as mystical until very recently. So, only the children ran around — likely with their mothers urging them on.

Special thanks to the women parliamentarians of the CPP, the wives of state officials present at the event, and the official women who, upon seeing that guests were hesitating to approach the refreshments table, took it upon themselves to serve them.