DIASPORA MINISTER MEETS WITH MELKONIAN ALUMNI MEMBERS – FULL TEXT
Gibrahayer
&page_id=76&path=76
Dec 08
Nicosia
Communique from the Association of Melkonian Alumni and Friends
Los Angeles, California – – On November
25, 2008, Armenia’s Minister of the Diaspora, Dr Hranush Hakobian,
met with the representatives of the Association of Melkonian Alumni
and Friends in the offices of Dr Harout Mesrobian in Glendale. The
meeting lasted approximately one hour. The minister was accompanied
by Mr Armen Liloyan, Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles.
Representing the Association of Melkonian Alumni and Friends at the
meeting were Chairman Raffi Zinzalian and members of the Administrative
Board Harout Mesrobian, Zohrab Shammasian, Vahakn Gharibian, and Garo
Kasabian. The Melkonian alumni brought to the minister’s attention a
number of issues related to the closure of the Melkonian Educational
Institute (MEI) in Cyprus.
The closure of MEI by a decision of the Central Board of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in June 2005 is no doubt one of the
most pressing issues of the Diaspora by virtue of its broader adverse
consequences. Consequently, it would be appropriate for Armenia’s
Ministry of the Diaspora to take up this issue with high priority.
Legal and other actions undertaken in Los Angeles and Cyprus in the
last few years with the leadership of the Armenian Patriarchate of
Istanbul and the joint efforts of Melkonian alumni organizations across
the world to halt the closure of MEI have not produced any positive
results. All legal rulings in these actions have favored the AGBU.
In late 2006, the Supreme Court of Cyprus ruled and affirmed that the
AGBU has full ownership rights over the MEI properties and that it
can dispose of them as it wishes. This ruling cleared the way for the
immediate sale of the Melkonian properties, which would have happened
had it not been for the intervention of the alumni in Cyprus.
In response to an appeal by the Cyprus alumni, the National Assembly of
Cyprus declared the original MEI buildings and 60 percent of its campus
of approximately 40 acres as a historic and architectural heritage
site and the adjoining grove of trees a "green zone." Although this
regulation reduces the monetary value of the Melkonian properties,
it makes the sale of the properties more difficult because it imposes
tough restrictions on any modifications on existing structures and
construction of new buildings in green areas.
Although the MEI has served as one of the most important centers of
preservation and advancement for Armenian existence and culture in the
Diaspora and provided high-quality education to thousands of Armenian
men and women over 80 years of its existence, it must not be viewed
solely as an educational institution. Indeed, it is an institution
established, above all, for the purpose of "avengement." The
following remarks by the benefactor Garabed Melkonian are so
apropos and memorable: "I am building this school to take avenge my
nation. The Turk decimated us. He first killed our leaders and then
our entire helpless nation. These young orphans must rebuild their
patriarchal homeland, and we must make leaders out of them. It is my
wish that the existence of these Melkonian educational institutions
be perpetuated for centuries to come and that they serve as hearths
of enlightenment that train productive and honest men and women for
the Armenian nation, the Armenian homeland, and all of humanity." This
was the vision of the founders of MEI. To that end, Krikor and Garabed,
the two Melkonian brothers gifted the vast sum of 600,000 British gold
pounds to the Armenian nation. That endowment is equivalent to hundreds
of millions of dollars in today’s prices. The interest on that gift
was sufficient to perpetuate the MEI "for centuries to come." The
MEI opened as an orphanage in 1924 to serve the needs of more than
300 helpless and destitute orphans who had survived the genocide of
1915-1923. Subsequently, hundreds of other orphans found shelter,
food, and education in Melkonian. Stretching in front of the twin
MEI buildings is a grove with hundreds of Roman pines.
Those trees were planted by those same orphans in memory of their
lost kin and the uncountable victims of the genocide. That grove is
essentially the first "monument" that eternalizes the memory of the
victims of the Armenian holocaust.
Consequently, the MEI is closely associated with and an integral part
of the history of the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people
at the beginning of the 20th century. As such, it is unthinkable to
sell it no matter how high the value of its physical assets.
Why was Melkonian closed? This question continues to torment our
minds. We believe that specious excuses to the effect that "the
existence of Melkonian is no longer justified" or that "Melkonian’s
mission has come to an end" are without grounds.
A comprehensive report dated November 23, 2003, and drafted by Mr
Sarkis Bchakjian, then Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MEI,
cited reliable statistical data to present an optimistic picture of
the situation that existed at the time and the future potential of
the school. At that point, the number of students in the institute had
risen to 251 over the previous eight years and the potential existed to
increase that number to as high as 350. However, the AGBU Central Board
sent instructions that this number should not exceed 250 to avoid any
budgetary strains. At the time of the report, the educational standards
of the school had reached unprecedented heights. Specif ically, 90
percent of MEI graduate were easily admitted to European and North
American universities to pursue their higher education. Thanks to the
generosity of the government of Cyprus and rent income from the MEI’s
commercial properties, the school’s revenues and investment returns
were on the rise. The institution was on its way to self-sufficiency.
Armenian schools in the Diaspora play a huge role in the preservation
of the Western Armenian language and culture, which remain in peril
and face extinction if we cannot keep these schools open. In some
countries, the use of local languages has become so prevalent among
Armenians that the few surviving Armenian schools are virtually
incapable of teaching our mother tongue. The MEI is the only Armenian
co-educational boarding school in the Diaspora. As such, it must
be reopened so that it can carry on its mission as a stronghold of
Armenian education and culture. The value of an educational institution
lies in its output. Can the "Melkonian Educational Center," a youth
complex the AGBU plans to create in Armenia, replace the MEI of
Cyprus and assume the role it played? In any event, the piecemeal
information that has been provided about planned Melkonian complex
in Armenia does not inspire much confidence or hope, given that the
plan has not yet taken concrete form and appears to be stumbling.
We have been told that the complex will bring together20around 200
Armenian students from various corners of the world and offer them
instruction in the Armenian language, literature, and history. We
are told that such activities will contribute to the preservation
of Armenian existence, culture, and education. We are told that all
these can be achieved over a period of at most six months.
Situated in a hospitable and generous country like Cyprus, a member
state of the EU with a superb geographical location, the MEI can be
gateway to Europe for Armenia. The matriculation of a certain number
of students from Armenia at the MEI would provide these students
with high-quality secondary education and prepare them for admission
to European and North American universities. After specializing
in various professions, these students can return to Armenia and
contribute to the advancement and prosperity of their homeland. Their
interaction with students from other countries would also help the
further strengthening of ties between Armenia and the Diaspora.
Minister Hakobian and Consul General Liloyan carefully listened
to the information presented to them and expressed compassionate
understanding for the work of the Melkonian alumni across the world
to have the MEI reopened.
Dr Hakobian took notes throughout the meeting and assured the
participants that she will present the MEI case to the serious
consideration of Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan.
She said: "As your representative, I am prepared to present the
Melkonian case to the president and prime minister of the Republic. I
will also personally meet with Louise Simone and Berj Setrakian of the
AGBU Central Board to discuss the reopening of Melkonian. I will also
meet with relevant government authorities in Cyprus to discuss the
status of Melkonian. I believe that the preservation of the Armenian
language is an essential prerequisite of perpetuating the Armenian
nation. I am aware of the contributions of the MEI to the building
of the Armenian nation."
The Diaspora Minister also expressed her opposition to the closure
of any school in the Diaspora.
We thank Dr Hakobian for making room in her busy schedule for this
meeting and for listening to the concerns and problems of Melkonian
alumni. We are especially gratified by her commitment to work on the
Melkonian case and to find a positive solution to this problem. We
also thank Consul General Liloyan for his interest and patience in
listening to concerns about Melkonian.
http://gibrahayer.com/index.php5?
www.melkonianforever.org