Hot on the heels of widespread negative reaction in the press and public regarding the renting of the Zvartnots historical site for a corporate party, Armenian Minister of Culture has fired Vardan Grigoryan, director of the Zvartnots site, and severly reprimanded Vladimir Poghosyan as the head of the ministry’s Service for the Protection of the Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservations SNCO.

The corporate party took place at the site of the 7th century ruins of the Zvartnots Cathedral on June 14.

Poghosyan told Hetq that the organizers of the event, Camp Ventures, paid US$ 1,699 to use the area which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rather than objecting to the fact that the site was leased out for such an event, the minister, in her dismissal, stated that Grigoryan failed to adequately monitor the adherence of various conditions in the contract (to keep the area clean and not to damage any section of the historical site, etc).

Photo: Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan