February 12, 2009 - 16:37 AMT
Armenian authorities have to take care of Hovhannes Tumanyan's Tbilisi house
Hovhannes Tumanyan's Museum in Yerevan doesn't have owner rights for the writer's house in Tbilisi, Voznesenskaya 18, Director of Hovhannes Tumanyan's Museum in Yerevan, Narine Toukhikyan told a news conference Thursday.

"Being an Armenian and great writer's museum director, I'm very sorry we're facing this problem today," she noted.

The apartment located at Voznesenskaya street has belonged to Tumanyan family since 1921, when Georgian authorities presented it to the Armenian writer.

The apartment was Tumanyan's family property and no one had a right to confiscate it. In 1950s part of the apartment was turned into library and carried Tumanyan's name till its closure in 2008. Last year Georgian authorities paid off their credit to private individuals with a part of the house. Tumanyan's great-grandson still lives in another part of the house.

Armenian media published information that this story refers Vernatun that served as a literary salon.

"For many years Hovhannes Tumanyan occupied this apartment located at Asatryan Street, yet it did not belong to him. Today it's the writer's house, and not Vernatun, that we're speaking about," specified Narine Tukhikyan.

"Several years ago Armenian authorities were negotiating library territory purchase with Tbilisi, yet negotiations were suspended. At my last year's visit to Tbilisi I failed to find library transmittal documents. Conflicts around the issue intensified, yet Armenian authorities have to approach the matter seriously till it's too late," emphasized the Museum Director.