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An Interview with Ruben Hayrapetyan: "I was born to a well-off family"

What follows is a portion of an interview conducted by Nouvelles d'Armenie reporter Seta Mavlian with Ruben Hayrapetyan.

The 4 hour unique interview took place on August 11 in the Avan district of Yerevan, where Hayrapetyan lives and where his Harsanakar restaurant is located. The interview appears in french in the magazine but was later translated to Armenian. Nouvelles d'Armenie has allowed the Armenian media to freely reprint the interview.

Let's start at the beginning. What environment were you born and raised in?

I was born to a socially well-off family. In the early 1970s, my father managed two restaurants. They were good restaurants. One at the end of Ajarian Street and the other, the Grill Bar, in Nork. My father built them from scratch and ran them.

Where did your father get the resources for the restaurants?

I was seven in 1970. You'd have to ask him. All I know is that before 1970 my father was in the cargo transport business. It was a profitable sector. They would transport foodstuffs and stones on large lorries out of Armenia. My mother was a housewife.

Where does your family hail from?

We are from Avan. Some Avan residents came from Khoy (Iran). I tried to do the research but couldn't find whether my father's family relocated from Khoy or if they were locals. Nevertheless, Avan residents speak in the Khoy dialect. My mother is from the village of Akounq, near the town of Abovian.

How did you come by the nickname "Nemets Rubo?" They say your father was taken prisoner by the Germans during WWI.

That’s wrong. My father was born in 1939. The name comes from his uncle, my grandmother’s brother, who was conscripted into the war the same year my father was born. He served and was wounded. He came back with metal fragments still in his body. He then worked as a driver. Like all good drivers, he also worked on the vehicles. When he’d get under a truck, the fragments would move around and cause him pain. He’d then start cursing the Germans. . That’s how he got the nickname "Nemets". Later on, it passed down to the rest of us.

Did you attend a Russian or Armenian school?

An Armenian school in Avan.

Were you a member of the Young Communist League?

Yes, unfortunately. (He laughs) We all became members when we turned 15. Had I refused, they would have caused trouble for my father, even sending him to Siberia.

You worked in the Almast Factory from 1980-1981. You were about 17-18 years old. How did that come about?

During the Soviet era, if you weren’t accepted into university, you could work somewhere for a year and get it registered on your employment papers for your pension Later on, you could take the admission tests again.

Why weren’t you accepted?

There were so many students applying for openings at the universities; 500 applicants for just 25 openings. You had to wait in line to get into college just like waiting for bread or meat. You needed good grades.

What kind of factory work did you do?

I was a first class electrician at the Almast Factory in Yerevan’s Zeytoun district. The place produced saws. We would repair the damaged mechanical parts. The following year I got accepted at the institute.

Comments (17)

karen
Հարգեցի Նեմեցին , կարգին մարդա, ուղղակի էդ հաստավիզներին պետքա էդքան էրես չտար
GB
«Ես ծնվել եմ սոցիալապես ապահովված ընտանիքում, 1970 - ականներին:« ... Այո, 70 - ականներին ՊԱԿ- ը եղել է հասարակ մարդկանց գագաթին, կաշառելու համար, դուք դեռ շարունակվում եք նույն աղբը Հայաստանում, նույն հին գողերը մի նոր դեմքերով:
Ara Manoogian
The complete English translation of this interview is available at http://www.thetruthmustbetold.com/2012/09/14/nemets-rubo-interview/
Ara Manoogian
The complete English translation of this interview is available at http://www.thetruthmustbetold.com/2012/09/14/nemets-rubo-interview/
Annonymous
Why interview this animal? Why not interview the family members of the man his bodyguards beat to death? Our priorities are twisted and then we wonder why our society can't progress at a more normal pace/
GAGIK
David ուղղակի թղթակցի վռիպումն ե եղել...ասելով որ պատերազմում կռվել է Նեմեցը ինկատի ե ունեցել կոմպի վրայի կռիվ-կռիվ խաղերը,,,ասում են վատ էլ չի խաղացել ))))
SAMO
Patmutun@ krknvum a NEMECI hamar motenum a 1945 tvi mayis@
Սամվել
խիզախ Սեդա դու փայլեցիր ոչ միայն լրագրողական այլեւ ավելի շատ հետաքննողական փայլուն ունակություններով
David
menak chimacanq wortegh ev um het, isk amenakarevor@ inchi hamar e krvel paterazmum
Am
Wow
Մլեհ
Նեմեցի կարապի երգը http://armtimes.com/36093 Նիկոլ Փաշինյան Կրակով, Լեհաստան
Մլեհ
Դավիթ Սանասարյան. «Ռուբեն Հայրապետյանը թող տեղ եւ ժամ ասի՝ ես անձամբ կգնամ ու կասեմ, թե ինչի համար է ինքը մարդասպան» http://www.aravot.am/2012/09/10/107920/
GAGIK
ԻՆՉ ԵՔ ՏՂՈՒՆ ՎՐԱ ՔՇԵԼ>>>ԳԼԽԱՎՈՐԸ ԴԻՊԼՈՄ ՈՒՆԻ ՈՒ ՓՈՂ ,ՄՆԱՑԱՑԸ ԿԱՌՆԻ
GEGHAM
PARZVEC VOR SA EV SRA NMANNER@ XELK EL CHUNEN,,,DURS E GALI INCHIN HASEL EN KRIMINALI MIJOCOV E EXEL
ՀԱՅ
Հոգեւարքի մեջա...Էս նեմեցի շրջապատում իրենց լավ կամեցող որեւէ մեկը չկա, որ օգնի սրան բերանը չբացել...
GALUST
ՏՂԵՆ ՇՈՂՈՒԼԻՑ ԸՆԿԵԼ Է..............
o-lah-lah
Երբեմն լռելը ավելի ճիշտ է, քան խոսելը

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