Paravon Mirzoyan, Director of the Armenian National Picture Gallery, refuted charges that his private house in Garni was built with stones culled from the nearby natural wonder called the "Stone Symphony". "Such allegations are made by careless and unprofessional individuals. Nothing of the kind has happened," retorted Mr. Mirzoyan at a press conference he convened today. "No one has touched those stones on the cliff wall. We used the ones that had fallen down into the gorge. People should be thanking Paravon Mirzoyan for thinking up such a unique way to use them. Local residents had been hauling them away as floor material," Mr. Mirzoyan said, referring to himself in the third-person. He boasted that local residents should be thankful that there is now at least one house in Garni that is tastefully built. Mr. Mirzoyan also owns an artisan’s shop in Garni that employs some 60-70 people. "Sure, I have a wonderful house and workshop in Garni, but they have nothing to do with the Symphony Stones. He said that even if someone wanted to remove the stones from the cliff face it would be impossible to do so given the sheer angle of the ascent. Mr. Mirzoyan invited the reporters to his house in Garni, supposedly to back up his claims.