Mkrtchyan: Russian Will Not Be Given Official Status in Armenia

YEREVAN (A.W.)—Armenia’s Education Minister Levon Mkrtchyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) announced on Nov. 24, that the Russian language will not be given official status in Armenia.

Levon Mkrtchyan
Levon Mkrtchyan

According to RFE/RL’s Armenian service Azatutyun.am, Mkrtchian was responding to a statement made by Russian ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Eleonora Mitrofanova, who announced that the Russian language should be given a “special status” in former Soviet republics.

Armenian has been the official language of the Republic since its independence in 1991. Although the Russian language does not have official status, it is a mandatory subject at most Armenian schools.

Mkrtchyan added that although Russian is important since Russia and Armenia have close ties, there are other languages including English, French, and German that are important as well.

The Russian ambassador’s recent statement brought concern to several Armenian politicians and intellectuals, causing them to question whether or not Russia will put pressure on the Armenian government to amend legislation regarding this matter.

3 Comments

  1. Similar to how EU nation have several official languages, Armenia, an EEU member, needs to give the Russian language an official status. But right now, with all the Western sponsored Russophobia being propagated around the world, may not be the right time. It will however happen in due time. Armenia cannot survive without Russia. Armenia’s rightful place is deep within the Russian orbit.

  2. Good job by Armenia’s Education Minister (Levon Mkrtchyan), in not allowing those putrid Russian nationalists to pressure him into giving the Russian language official status in Armenia. The beautiful Armenian language must always be the official language of Armenia (after all, 97.9 percent of Armenia’s population is Armenian).

    Looking back, I’m glad that I made the right decision in choosing to study French at school, instead of that ugly language of Russian.

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