If Parajanov was Alive, He Would Be at Maidan Protests, Says Ukrainian Ambassador

Bilateral relations with Armenia are very important for Ukraine, said Ukraine's Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Kukhta at a press conference in Yerevan today. The ambassador said he is touched that Armenian news media is following the events in Ukraine and are empathetic. 

Relations between the two countries must deepen, he said, regardless of the fact that Armenia will enter the Eurasian Customs Union. This fact, however, will prompt the establishing of new customs regulations by the end of the year — to regulate Armenia-Ukraine relations. Ambassador Kukhta said this will mainly impact the prices of construction materials, as Ukraine supplies a substantial part of the construction material imported by Armenia.

Speaking about Armenia-Ukraine relations, the ambassador recalled Soviet Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov, who made significant contributions to Armenian, Ukrainian, and Georgian cinema. 

"He was a great master who had an important role in the development of Ukrainian cinema. Parajanov was Armenian, who was born in Georgia and sat in a Russian prison — for Ukrainian nationalism. I'm convinced that if Parajanov was alive, he would be one of the first at Maidan," he said.  

Photo credit: Mikhail Vartanov