YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS. The new Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Alfred Kocharyan says they have ambitious and promising projects aimed at preserving, restoring and promoting Armenian cultural values.

In an interview with ARMENPRESS, Kocharyan said the ministry will restore a number of monuments in 2022, and several events will be organized across the country. In addition, Armenia will participate in the Sharjah Heritage Days festival to be held March 10-28 in the United Arab Emirates.

Kocharyan said Armenia will be in the focus at the Sharjah exhibition.

“We will present our entire culture and history in our pavilion,” Kocharyan said. “Orchestras will perform, now we are in the phase of discussions and I can’t reveal more details. We have produced films and videos. We did everything possible to impress the visitors of our pavilion,” Alfred Kocharyan said.

The Armenian delegation to the event will include the Director of the History Museum of Armenia Davit Poghosyan, who will sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Sharjah Institute for Heritage.

Speaking about other projects, the deputy minister noted that soon an exhibition will be organized in Gyumri – with support from the ministry and at the initiative of the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Arts – aimed at promoting tourism and boosting cultural life in other cities in addition to Yerevan. The Gyumri: Master City has the potential to attract tourists, if the event is properly promoted and covered, Kocharyan said.

In turn, the building of the Dilijan branch of the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Arts will undergo renovation in the coming years.

Kocharyan said the restoration of historical-cultural monuments is a top priority for the ministry. He reminded that 108 million drams will be provided from the state budget in 2022 for this purpose, and an additional 128 million drams could be allocated depending on the course of implementation of the programs.

“The process of excavations will continue, and the government-private sector cooperation. A good example of such cooperation is the restoration of the Astvatsynkal Church in Aragatsotn Province,” he said, adding that the restoration of the Mayravank monastery in Solak and Talin's Katoghike Church will also commence in 2022. Works will continue at the Sanahin monastic complex, the Goshavank and Kobayr monastery.

Alfred Kocharyan said he attaches importance to raising awareness on preservation of monuments, and increasing consciousness of the public on the matter. He highlighted family and school as having a major role for achieving this. “We must remind people that monuments are also their homeland, monuments should be loved and preserved, not harmed or ruined. The governmental agencies and other structures under our ministry are carrying out educational projects for this,” he said.

Interview by Angela Hambardzumyan

Photos by Hayk Manukyan