Renowned conductor Constantine Orbelian has filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Acting Minister of Culture Nazeni Gharibyan of Armenia. Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned this from the Judicial Information System.

The conductor demands to nullify the PM’s decision to lay down the duties of the Minister of Culture temporarily on Nazeni Gharibyan, and the latter’s order to discontinue Orbelian’s powers.

The A. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre has been included in the case as a third party.

By Nazeni Gharibyan’s order, Constantine Orbelian was dismissed from the post of director of the aforesaid theater because pursuant to the law on local self-government, he cannot simultaneously be the director as well as the artistic director of this theater; and under the law on language, he must have a good command of the Armenian language, whereas Orbelian primarily communicates in Russian.

Constantine Orbelian was appointed Director of the A. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre on August 3, 2017, and by the order of then Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan.