The Armenian national anthem will have an official version and recording, Sisak Gabrielyan, Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth, and Sports, said during the first reading of a draft law in Parliament.
The initiative to amend the Law on the National Anthem of the Republic of Armenia was proposed by NA Speaker Alen Simonyan, along with MPs Sisak Gabrielyan and Taguhi Ghazaryan from the Civil Contract faction.
Presenting the draft, Gabrielyan emphasized the need for a unified standard for state symbols, including a clarified text, duration, musical structure, rhythm, and a shorter 25–30-second version of the anthem, Sputnik Armenia reports.
According to Gabrielyan, “the anthem should begin and end with references to Armenia.” He added that once the changes are adopted, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MoESCS) will publish the approved anthem version on the government’s official website. The anthem recordings will be available in various formats, including a cappella and orchestral versions.
“Over time and at different events, the anthem has been performed in various forms. For instance, the version proposed in the draft law was played during the start of a parliamentary session. However, opposition colleagues argued that it violated the law. I maintain that this was not the case, as no official version was previously published,” said Gabrielyan.
He also noted that the same version was performed in 2015 during the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide’s centenary in the presence of Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan.
Another Civil Contract MP, Alkhas Ghazaryan, highlighted that the same version was sung by Bishop Bagrat at one of the opposition’s rallies.
Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan stressed the urgency of the amendments to the anthem law:
“Our approach to state symbols must be comprehensive and harmonious. This will prevent situations where versions of the anthem that, to put it mildly, should not have been heard, are performed at events,” she emphasized.
Andreasyan also stated the importance of encouraging joint performances of the anthem during public events.
In the November 28, 2024 session of the Armenian Government, it was decided to alter the structure of the anthem by moving the final stanza to the second position and shifting the second and third stanzas accordingly. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the anthem’s message should focus on the following: “Look at it with its three colors—a sacred symbol; let it shine against the enemy, let Armenia always flourish.”
