Vladimir Agayan: “The Russian language will live in Armenia”

The head of the Armenian Center of the development of the Russian language Vladimir Agayan told why traditionally the high interest to the Russian language remains in Armenia and has huge success to already traditional festival of the Russian song under the name “Song — the Friendship Bridge”:

- The knowledge of the Russian is necessary for our young generation and our national interest consists in it. We not simply live today in Russian-speaking space – we lived near Russia for centuries! The Russian language and the Russian culture are also native for us.

Remember the Soviet period: the Russian actually was the second native language in all federal republics. And now we see alienation from the Russian language in many former federal republics which have become now the independent republics. But we in Armenia had no alienation, but there was only a retreat. The Russian language is necessary to us! Look, by estimates of independent experts today three and a half million of Armenians live in Russia. 1,2 million from them are the citizens of the Russian Federation, the others arrived to Russia to work. It turns out that every our third family has the representative in Russia. It is the first.

And, secondly, we lived in the Russian-speaking space and we will live there. Our strategic communications are known to all. And we have nothing to hide.

Let's look at literature which is in the republic higher education institutions. In all and most of all in technical colleges the vast majority of textbooks, grants, reference books are in the Russian language. Up to 99 percent! If you want to receive good specialty, the Russian, of course, needs to be known. It is pleasant that the younger generation in Armenia well understands it.

It isn't casual that the great attention is riveted by all projects connected with the Russian. In 2010 we held the first festival of the Russian song “Song — the Friendship Bridge”. Also has to tell you honestly that we didn't think that it will begin to sound so! Nobody could assume that action which believed single, becomes traditional in the republic. The festival caused huge interest in Armenia. Schools lived by them! Parents, teachers, public – every wanted to support our idea. By the way, five genres were presented at once: Russian romance, Russian patriotic song, Russian national song, Russian variety song, Armenian song in the Russian.

People came to concerts and asked that the festival took place every year, but after all to organize such large-scale cultural event within all republic is not the simplest matter therefore Song — the Friendship Bridge festival will take place in a year. And it surely remains all-republican! We can't bring people who came and asked to continue a good tradition as it was, for example, in Gyumri.

Only very silly person could tell that we pay such attention to the Russian at the expense of the Armenian language. The person has to know the roots, the culture. But you know how the people say in Armenia? How many languages you know, so much people in you! You know five languages, it means five people and it is very good!

Remembering the times of retreat of the Russian language, I can tell that it was visible, first of all, in the youth environment. Therefore, we also gave special attention to schools. If didn't pay attention to them, tomorrow the situation would be much worse. The union of Armenians of Russia appeared in 2000. And in two years the Congress on the Russian language with participation of CIS and Baltic countries passed at us.

It passed under the name “Russia and the Russian in My Life”. Representatives of all former federal republics except Azerbaijan participated in it. Twice such forums took place in Yerevan, and once at the request of the first lady of Kazakhstan – in Alma-Ata. We developed the Congress program in close cooperation with Russia. We came to the conclusion that winners can enter in leading Russian higher education institutions free of charge. Only imagine, every year 25 talented young people will study in Russia who become then the real ambassadors of Russia at home!

I want to return to Song — the Friendship Bridge festival again. At first believed that graduates will sing, and as a result every school students sang, since first graders. The festival takes place in three stages: school – area – the republic. All comes to the end with remarkable gala concert! But the essence isn't reduced only to singing – in parallel we make the Day of the Russian language and Russian Culture at schools. It happens that actions proceed the whole week because it is interesting to all – both to children and their parents and teachers. In Armenia there are 1400 schools and all of them participate in Song — the Friendship Bridge festival. 400 thousand pupils take part in actions – it is every fourth pupil in the republic! And directly or indirectly 1,2 million people have the relation to our festival in Armenia! Every third citizen of the republic!

Our festival “Song — the Friendship Bridge” takes place with support of the Union of Armenians of Russia, in cooperation with the World Armenian Congress, with assistance of official structures: the Ministry of Culture, the ministries of science and education of Armenia, the city hall of Yerevan, power structures in regions. We see what advantage is brought by a festival, how the new good traditions are put, as the friendship of our people becomes stronger. We will continue further and invite to visit a festival: we are always glad to guests!