YEREVAN. - The scandal over “Tashir-2011” Armenian Music Awards is nothing but a result of ‘distinctive Armenian’ malevolence towards the neighbor, Armenian MP, representative of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Vardan Bostanjyan told at the press conference on Thursday.

During “Tashir-2011” Armenian Music Award held at Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace on April 3 the president of Tashir Group company and other organizers of the event rewarded Armenian celebrities with certificates for apartments in Moscow and Yerevan and expensive cars. In particular, Armenian pop singers Armenchik, Tata Simonyan, Arman Hovhannisyan, Kamo Seyranyan, Shushan Petrosyan, Nune Yesayan, Sirusho, and Lusina received expensive apartments in Yerevan, whereas singers Emmy and Razmik Amyan received expensive cars. The head of the Tashir Group also awarded apartments to showman Garik Martirosyan and Russian celebrity Ksenia Sobchak.

This gesture received intense critique in the Armenian society. Just few hours after the ceremony, Facebook social network users created a page “A call to “Tashir 2011 stars” that urged Armenian celebrities to donate their gifts to homeless people.

According to Bostanjyan, there is no point in discussing this action. Leaving aside Ksenia Sochak’s merits in the field of culture, the MP criticized the public attitude.

“All this fuss around the music awards is due to ‘distinctive Armenian’ malevolence towards the neighbor,” Bostanjyan added. “On the other hand, journalists are to be blame for this fuss. However, it is natural taking into account that reporters belong to the pitiful part of the population.”