Armenian Parliament Committee Endorses Bill to Amend National Anthem

YEREVAN — The Armenian Parliament’s Committee on State and Legal Affairs approved a bill on Friday to amend the national anthem, proposed by a group of deputies led by Speaker Alen Simonyan.

The bill seeks to establish a standardized version of the anthem, encompassing its text, melody, and tempo. Currently, the singing of the anthem is mandatory at certain events in schools and universities. With the proposed amendments, this requirement would extend to colleges and kindergartens.

“If singing the anthem is now mandatory only at the opening and closing of official sporting events, the draft law would also make it compulsory during award ceremonies at the end of tournaments,” explained Sisak Gabrielyan, a co-author of the bill and an MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction, during the discussion.

Gabrielyan noted that the anthem’s performance has not received sufficient attention in Armenia, leading to inconsistencies. “In some cases, the anthem was sung too quickly, in others too slowly. Additionally, varying notes were often used, and sometimes the last two lines were repeated,” he said.

Under the proposed changes, the government would be authorized to determine a shortened version of the anthem.

The bill also suggests rearranging the quatrains of the anthem. The final quatrain would move to the second position, while the second and third quatrains would become the third and fourth, respectively.

“We believe it is more fitting to begin and conclude the national anthem with words about Armenia,” Gabrielyan added.

Furthermore, the draft proposes altering the anthem’s closing lines to be more uplifting. The current ending, “Blessed is he who dies for the freedom of his people,” would be replaced with “May Armenia always be glorious.”