Yerevan museums argue over May 18 celebrations

Yerevan’s Sergei Parajanov Museum will not join Saturday’s International Museum Day events while the Khachatur Abovyan’s Museum’s director says he is against offering a free entrance to visitors.

At a news conference on Friday, Director of the Parajanov Museum Zaven Sargsyan said he doesn’t think participating in the event makes any sense at all, adding that he has already notified the Ministry of Culture of his decision.

Hovhannes Zatikyan, the director of the Abovyan Museum. added with laugh that he would miss the celebrations too, had he known Sargsyan has rejected the offer. He said the requirement to make the museum entrance free is offensive for himself.

“It looks as though people wait for this day all the year in order to go to the museum. I am against that day-and-night event. But on that day alone, we have so many people coming,” he said, noting that the same people could visit museums on other days as well, paying symbolic sums.

But the Parajanov Museum director said he also sees advantages about the day, particularly the fact it has made the society to finally learn the way to museums.