ANDRANIK MARGARIAN: NEW CULTURE MINISTER’S APPOINTMENT PROVIDED ONLY BY RE-ARRANGEMENTS IN POLITICAL FIELD OF COUNTRY

Noyan Tapan
May 23 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
introduced on May 23 Hasmik Poghosian, the Minister of Culture and
Youth Issues, newly appointed by RA President Robert Kocharian’s
decree, to the ministry’s staff.

Andranik Margarian mentioned that Gevorg Gevorgian, appointed the
Minister of Culture and Youth Issues three months ago has done
a rather great work at the Ministry during this period, and a new
person’s appointment on this post is provided only by re-arrangements
taken place in the political field. “During those three months Gevorg
Gevorgian created at the Ministry a working atmosphere and showed a
strict orientation in the affair of development of the cultural policy
of the country. Gevorg Gevorgian was my co-thinker in this sense.

It is a pity that the issue of changing the Minister arose
in consequence of the political situation,” the Prime Minister
emphasized. Andranik Margarian expressed a hope that newly appointed
Minister Hasmik Poghosian who was nominated by the United Labour
Party, will keep the already created working atmosphere at the
Ministry and will continue working in the same way. H.Poghosian is
non-partizan. The newly appointed Minister is not a new person in
the sphere of culture. She has worked for long years at the Armenian
Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and has been
the Chairwoman of that structure during the recent time. Hasmik
Poghosian mentioned that being appointed on the post of the Culture
Minister was unexpected for her. According to her, she knows the sphere
rather well, and in this sense, frames and issues of her activity will
just enlarge. Responding the Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question by
what changing one non-partizan minister with another was provided,
especially in the sphere of culture, where problems connected with
ministers have always been, the Prime Minister mentioned that this is
only a result of political changes. According to Andranik Margarian,
he is not at all of the opinion that the Ministry of Culture is more
national than others: “One must not separate ministries: as mush
the culture is national as the education and nature protection are
national.” The Prime Minister expressed a hope that till May, 2007,
no change of minister will be in this sphere any more. He informed
that Gevorg Gevorgian will be proposed a new job as “those abilities
and possibilities that the former minister has may not be left in
the street.”