On September 14, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the open-air performance “The Fence” at the HandArt Cultural Park, as he shared on his official Facebook page.
“We watched HandArt’s performance of ‘The Fence’ with our own eyes and had a discussion exploring its messages, ideological layers, and conclusions,” Pashinyan wrote, also posting a video from the event.
The play is based on Stepan Zoryan’s short story of the same name. The script and direction were by Tigran Gyulumyan, and among the actors was Mkrtich Arzumanyan.
Pashinyan commented, “These types of performances always end with a vague, emotional message. We never quite understand what conclusion we’re supposed to draw. That matters. I liked the performance and have my own takeaway. But what is the takeaway here?”
An audience member reportedly replied, “We must love our homeland and fight for every centimeter,” according to Panorama.am .
To that, Pashinyan responded: “That too is vague. I would object to discussing it that way. The performance didn’t answer the question. Our strategy does — there is a state, a law, and legitimacy. We shouldn’t tug at the fence — there is a state, and there is a cadastre.
When there is no fence, there is no Armenia. A fence not only limits us, but it also limits others.
And to have Armenia, we need fences. We must draw those borders. Our policy is to set and strengthen that fence.
If I were doing this, I would have made this message clear. In my view, you didn’t clearly say this or other things either.”
Actor Mkrtich Arzumanyan responded: “The events take place in 1920. We’re portraying that time period and drawing parallels with today. If we were addressing the present day directly, it would have been different.”
Pashinyan also added, “What surprises me most is that we sit in Byurakan and weep for Western Armenia, yet we fail to notice that Byurakan itself is Armenia.”
Arzumanyan replied, “That was the main message of the performance, Mr. Prime Minister. They’re fighting over a single meter while ignoring bigger issues that remain unresolved.”
Pashinyan’s remarks triggered widespread commentary on social media, much of it negative.
