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The official of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports did not expect a backlash against the proposed merger of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory with other art universities, soprano Hasmik Papyan said on Tuesday.

Chairman of the Higher Education and Science Committee Sargis Hayotsyan met with lecturers and students of Yerevan Conservatory to discuss the matter and listen to their concerns.

“But we did not receive a final response,” Papyan told reporters after the closed meeting, hailing students for firmly defending their position and staying true to their principles.

"This is very important, indeed. I don't know who came up with the idea to move Yerevan Conservatory to the Academic City. This is our memory, which cannot be erased. So many outstanding people entered this building, we need to understand the significance of the Conservatory building. You can't move a university to another city with a stroke of the pen. It was stated that salaries would rise, the number of students would increase. These are absurd arguments," the soprano said.

She claims that the university students and lecturers remain steadfast in their rejection of the government's plan.