YEREVAN. – Foreign flags can be seen in many public transport vehicles in Yerevan. Specifically, along with the tricolor of Armenia—and even in some instances, without the Armenian flag—one can more frequently come across the flag of the Russian Federation. And in Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan’s Facebook account, numerous people have expressed their dissatisfaction with this situation. “Servility, or 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence? Who is to rectify this shame?,” a user writes.

Our symbols must be there, especially in connection with the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, Armenian Transport and Communication Ministry’s Information and Public Relations Department Head Petros Demirchyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. In his words, however, that is not something to be written in the law; they simply must be cautioned not to put up those flags.     

The law does not regulate the flag matter, Yerevan City Hall’s Information and Public Relations Committee Chairman Arthur Gevorgyan informed Armenian News-NEWS.am, in his turn. According to Gevorgyan, the City Hall cannot supervise the case of foreign flags, and this domain is in the hands of the individual.

“This is an ethical issue, and there are no legal grounds. It is a question of a person’s respect toward his country,” Arthur Gevorgyan noted.