PM questions use of foreign names for Armenian teams and businesses

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the topic of patriotism, its practical expressions, and the use of names in Armenia that have little or no connection to the country.

According to Armenian media, quoted by Caliber.Az, speaking to journalists during the 7th congress of the Civil Contract party, Pashinyan said:

"I approached the bonfire and asked the children what the highest mountain in Armenia is. 70 per cent of the children answered that it is Ararat (Agridag - ed.), they do not even know that Ararat is not located on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Even many of those who communicate with us, Armenians, do not know this, because we say so. Then they find out and are surprised — isn't Ararat located in the Republic of Armenia? What do they think of us?"

The Prime Minister also discussed football, a subject that has recently stirred debate.

"I watch the news: 'Van' defeated 'Alashkert'.’ I wonder: can this have anything to do with the development of football?" Pashinyan asked.

He highlighted the contrast with foreign clubs, questioning why Armenian teams do not follow the same naming conventions.

"Can't the name of a team in Armenia be, say, 'Hrazdan' or 'Ijevan'? Why can it be 'Milan' but not 'Artashat'? Artashat is our identity, Artashat is the identity of our identities, it is the capital of our capitals," the Prime Minister said.

He also questioned the naming of businesses in Armenia:

"Why should a supermarket in Armenia be called 'Van', 'Alashkert' or 'Adana'?"

Pashinyan reflected on the historical context behind such naming trends, citing the Soviet period:

"What is our model of patriotism based on? Let's look at when all these books, novels and plays were written. They were written under Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev, under the conditions of the Soviet Glavlit (Main Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press under the Council of Ministers of the USSR - ed.). Why did Glavlit allow all this to be published? He knew that we were patriots, but it was important for them to prevent this patriotism, to prevent it from having any connection with the real Armenia, so that the peoples of the Armenian SSR would have such contradictions with each other that they could be strictly controlled by the central government."

He concluded by linking patriotism to national sports: "Perhaps we should start with this, because psychology is important in everything, and most of all in sport," Pashinyan emphasised, urging reflection on the significance of names in shaping identity and pride.

By Tamilla Hasanova