YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. 7bn drams has been allocated to the RA Ministry of Culture in 2008 by the RA state budget. However, the expenditures of cultural centers' repairs are not included in it, as they are to be implemented by the RA Ministry of Urban Development. The amount of sum allocated to the sphere of culture has not been changed considerably, compared with 2007 (6bn 793m 641.3 thousand drams). Hasmik Poghosian, the RA Minister of Culture, said this at the December 28 final brief press conference. She said that the salaries of cultural sphere employees will be raised from July 1, 2008. According to the Minister, some of many foreign and local events held in 2007, including the exhibitions and concerts dedicated to the Year of Armenia in France, became the greatest success of the year. In her words, these events with their high quality became a start for further cooperation and programs. H. Poghosian also said that in the cultural life no noticeable success has been registered perhaps only in the theatrical life: "no work has been created, which could become a subject of year's conversation in the sphere." "For me, the only work was producer Vahan Badalian's performance "Ofelia's Shadow Theater," he said. The Minister mentioned that the way of assistance provided to theaters will be changed in that respect in 2008: "assistance will be provided to authors and theater collectives of worthy programs." Hasmik Poghosian also touched upon the legislative work in the cultural sphere in 2007, in particular, mentioning two important legislative initiatives, bills On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Laws On Principles of Cultural Legislation and On Documents' Compulsory Model, which have been submitted to the government. The RA bill On Non-material Cultural Heritage has been already submitted to the government.

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