HASMIK POGHOSIAN: NO NOTICEABLE PROGRESS WAS REGISTERED ONLY IN
THEATRICAL LIFE IN 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. 7bn drams has been allocated to the
RA Ministry of Culture in 2008 by the RA state budget. However, the
expenditures of cultural centers’ repairs are not included in it, as
they are to be implemented by the RA Ministry of Urban Development. The
amount of sum allocated to the sphere of culture has not been changed
considerably, compared with 2007 (6bn 793m 641.3 thousand drams).
Hasmik Poghosian, the RA Minister of Culture, said this at the December
28 final brief press conference. She said that the salaries of cultural
sphere employees will be raised from July 1, 2008.

According to the Minister, some of many foreign and local events held
in 2007, including the exhibitions and concerts dedicated to the Year
of Armenia in France, became the greatest success of the year. In her
words, these events with their high quality became a start for further
cooperation and programs.

H. Poghosian also said that in the cultural life no noticeable success
has been registered perhaps only in the theatrical life: "no work has
been created, which could become a subject of year’s conversation in
the sphere." "For me, the only work was producer Vahan Badalian’s
performance "Ofelia’s Shadow Theater," he said. The Minister mentioned
that the way of assistance provided to theaters will be changed in that
respect in 2008: "assistance will be provided to authors and theater
collectives of worthy programs."

Hasmik Poghosian also touched upon the legislative work in the cultural
sphere in 2007, in particular, mentioning two important legislative
initiatives, bills On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Laws On
Principles of Cultural Legislation and On Documents’ Compulsory Model,
which have been submitted to the government. The RA bill On
Non-material Cultural Heritage has been already submitted to the
government.