EN
30 September 2005 - 08:28 AMT

AZNAVOUR: ARMENIA SHOULD TAKE EUROPEAN WAY

«Armenian origins are exclusively important to me,» famous singer Charles Aznavour stated. «My parents and I were born not in our fatherland: my father was born in Georgia, while my mother in Turkey. They spoke many languages. They were widely open people and it helped up – their children – absorb various cultures of the East and West. In France itself I listened to Arab, Latin American and American music,» he remarked. Answering a question about assistance to Armenia, Charles Aznavour said, «I was engaged in assisting poor people, helped to restore electricity in the past. Today I am busy with building new schools, repairing old ones. The future of the country is the youth, as it is known.» Speaking of whether Armenia should follow Georgia’s example and «turn towards the US,» the singer said Armenia should take the European way. «Its place is in Europe. I am pleased with Armenia preserving very good relations with Russia. By the way, I was in Uzbekistan lately and paid attention to the fact that all Uzbeks, like Armenians, speak Russian. From the geographic point of view Armenia also is closer to Russia than America,» Aznavour summed up, reported the Izvestia.