Armenian parliament head advocates for changing national anthem, coat of arms "The music is alien and the lion looks like a smiley face"

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan said that the country's national anthem will have to be changed sooner or later.

"It is quite clear to me that Armenia's anthem should be changed sooner or later, it should be Armenian, it should be related to the state, to Armenian music, it should correspond to the genre. I do not insist that it should be replaced with the music of the great Aram Khachatrian - beautiful, unrivalled, maximally Armenian. But it is obvious that changing the current alien anthem is a necessity," Simonyan noted on Telegram, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

In his opinion, the issue of changing the coat of arms should also be discussed. Commenting on the symbols depicted on the coat of arms, Simonyan noted that Armenia cannot be "underwater", as the flood was a punishment for mankind.

Besides, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament is not satisfied with the lion depicted on the coat of arms, which looks like a "smiley face", as well as a sword in chains.

Media note that the current Armenian authorities from time to time raise the issue of the need to change the state symbols of Armenia. Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized Armenia's coat of arms.