YEREVAN. – The “Armenia” sailboat, which belongs to renowned Armenian writer and publicist Zori Balayan, is the first to greet visitors to St. Lazarus Island in Venice, Italy, according to Hraparak newspaper. 

“[But] Armenian businessmen of Venice petition to the St. Lazarus [Armenian] clergy for a long time, with a request to buy ‘Armenia’ for 1 million [US] dollars, wave the Armenian flag at the Adriatic [Sea] and Venice—next to gondolas and other boats, sail, and combine ‘the pleasant’ with ‘the useful.’

“But Zori Balayan does not give his consent.

“Moreover, ‘Armenia,’ which is docked there for a long time, is already corroding, whereas they [i.e. the Armenian clergy] are unable to repair it at St. Lazarus because they live on quite modest means, and they do not have such money to save the boat.

“But they would mutually benefit in case of a [business] ‘deal,’” wrote Hraparak.