Symphonic Orchestra's Statement on Maestro Smbatyan's Detention

Following the detention of Sergey Smbatyan, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra's musicians and staff have issued a statement. The statement is presented in full below:

“Dear friends,
As you are aware, the public has widely discussed the information surrounding our orchestra's founding artistic director and chief conductor, Sergey Smbatyan, raising concerns for both domestic and international audiences. We continue to receive numerous responses from our partners in Armenia and abroad, as well as from prominent figures in the arts community and supporters of Maestro Sergey Smbatyan and the Symphony Orchestra. We express our gratitude for the support, kind words, and sober approaches towards the ongoing events.
We are confident that, provided the integrity and propriety of the process are maintained, Maestro Smbatyan will have the opportunity to restore his highly significant cultural activities for himself and for Armenia.
We hope that the commotion will soon be replaced by balanced information and analysis, reasonable decisions will be made, and until the conclusion of the investigation, Sergey Smbatyan will be given the opportunity to be free and alongside the orchestra.
With all due respect to the law enforcement system, we would like to emphasize that preserving Maestro Smbatyan's international cultural involvement is also a matter of maintaining the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra's and the Republic of Armenia's international reputation.
Once again, we thank you for being by our side during these difficult times.”
— Armenian State Symphony Orchestra Musicians and Staff

It is noteworthy that businessman Arman Petrosyan, former Armenian ambassador to Russia and Israel Armen Smbatyan, and his son, chief conductor Sergey Smbatyan, have been detained by a court decision for two months. They are suspected of causing property damage to the state amounting to 966 million drams, although the lawyer mentioned that the case is based on 166 million fabricated grounds.