In 2017 Mediamax published various interviews with politicians, artists, scientists and journalists. We have chosen our top 10 interviews of 2017 and present certain extracts to your attention.

Karen Karapetyan: Lying is never an option

Karen Karapetyan

Photo: Hrayr Badalyan

- In this position, I was surprised the most when I discovered that populism became a significant factor. There are many people who say one thing in front of the camera and another without a camera around, and what they really think is something else completely. I personally never said on camera something I didn’t believe. I’m not trying to get anyone to like me. I find lying unacceptable. Sometimes you can’t tell the truth, but I believe you never have to lie.

Armen Orujyan: FAST is not a painkiller, we’re more of an antibiotic

Armen Orujyan

Photo: FAST

- FAST objectives are holistic. We want to elevate the entire ecosystem, to create an ecosystem that will drive technological innovation, and scientific advancement. In order to do that, you would need to target all the significant capacities – intellectual, financial, network capacities – and create a tsunami that brings in a wave after a wave and lifts these capacities.

Garabed Antranikian: Armenia should bring intelligence and emotions together

Garabed Antranikian

Photo: Lina P.A.Nguyen

- I would change the whole system of higher education. The technologies are rapidly developing and I believe Armenia should try now to implement reforms in the university sector, try to find out whether all the universities or even many of them should in fact do research. Research costs a lot of money, so maybe you have to categorize universities by topics that are important for the region.

Galina Timchenko: Audio revival will become a trend (in Armenian)

Galina Timchenko

Photo: REUTERS

- So what is the job of a journalist? It’s to tell a story. If you are talented and you can tell a story, then you can also become a journalist. Nevertheless, you need to have certain important skills, which the diploma in journalism doesn’t necessarily guarantee.

Larisa Hovannisian: The State should prioritize every child

Larisa Hovannisian

Photo: Teach For Armenia

- Not all problems in our education system are conditioned by the unwillingness of responsible people to do something good. Sometimes they are just far from the reality at schools, especially in regions. It’s like that they have never taught at a school that has faced education challenges for years. You can’t implement education reforms without the opportunity to communicate with students, who see their fathers at best several weeks a year. These kids come to school half-starved, without normal shoes and any idea on how to help their mothers feed their brothers and sisters.

Yossi Melman: I became Number 1 Public Enemy in Azerbaijan

Yossi Melman

Photo: Berlin Film Festival

- I became Number 1 public enemy in Azerbaijan. There were some terrible, nasty media reports about me in Azerbaijan. The called me “an agent of Armenian lobby”, “weak journalist”, “corrupt journalist”, etc. 

Edward Djerejian: Capitalize on Armenian identity

Edward Djerejian

Photo: Edgar Barseghyan

- No matter what the international environment is, Armenia should still have a goal of situating itself in a position where it can conduct policies that promote its national interests both North-South, East-West. That should still be a constant of Armenian policy because of its geographical location, and geography is destiny in politics in many ways.

Michel Mayor: A look to the future and life outside the Earth (in Armenian)

Michel Mayor

Photo: starmus.com

- Yes, I believe that life is a regular phenomenon, which appears as a result of the development of the universe, so it should exist in various planets. From this point, my researches are aimed at proving that life can be in other planets.

Vitaly Balasanyan: The view from Aghdam was horrifying (in Armenian)

Vitaly Balasanyan

Photo: Photolure

- The vigilance in the Army is very high now. Everything is in order, but we still have to do everything possible to prevent the war. I came to this conclusion from the statements of the Presidents of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as the format of their collaboration. In case of an attack, Armenia will certainly respond. I wish God doesn’t let that happen, or else Azerbaijan is going to have big problems. 

Charles Aznavour: Find the right doors and open them

Charles Aznavour

Photo: Nicolas Aznavour

- I’m very curious, so I’ve never limited myself. It was interesting to meet other cultures and win hearts worldwide, and I did everything for it. It’s a great physical effort as well. I used to give three concerts a day when I was young - in the morning, in the evening and at night. I took the last flight to the next city and did the same there. Not many people can keep up with such rhythm, so I suppose, that’s why I’m still touring at age 92.