Armenian government approves changes to Republic’s national anthem

YEREVAN, November 28. /ARKA/. The Armenian government approved a draft law on changes to the national anthem of the Republic, proposed by members of parliament led by National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, at a meeting on Thursday.

According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the changes are prompted by the lack of a unified standard for performing the anthem.

"I have never seen the anthem performed the same way, as there is no uniform rhythm or tempo," he said.

The Prime Minister noted that the proposed changes do not involve changes to the text. "The quatrains are changed in certain places," he explained.

Pashinyan had expressed dissatisfaction with Armenia's coat of arms and national anthem several times, proposing a change to the anthem's ending. In February of this year, in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia, Pashinyan pointed out the inclusion of the word ''enemy'' in the anthem's lyrics.

''This means that the perception of the enemy is a central part of our worldview. Whatever we do, our enemy is always present. And it doesn't matter whether we acknowledge it or not, '' he said.-0-