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NAIRA MELKUMIAN: ARTSAKH IS STILL THE MOST SENSITIVE SPOT FOR ARMENIAN NATION
Azg/arm
4 Dec 04
Naira Melkumian, president of "Armenia" Pan-Armenian Fund is sure that
Artsakh remains the most sensitive spot for the Armenian
nation. According to Mrs. Melkumian the results of the telethon held
to assemble money for Nagorno Karabakh's strategic North-South highway
"unprecedented". The sum gathered reaches $11 million.
The Fund's office hosted journalists yesterday where
Mrs. Melkumianthanked the major benefactors Luiz-Simon Manukian ($2
millions), Eduardo Ernekian ($1.5 million), Hrayr and Gevorg
Hovnanian, Sargis Hakobian, Caroline Mugar, Gerard Gefestchian and Ara
Abrahamian.
"Ara Abrahamian called us and told jokingly how could we held telethon
without his participation", Mrs. Melkumian said. President of the
World Armenian Congress and head of the Armenians' Union of Russia
presented $250 thousand.
"I want to express my gratitude to AGBU and its head Pertch Sedrakian,
the FAR (Fund for Armenian Relief) and OAR (Organization for Armenian
Relief), our organizations on western and eastern shores of the US,
local administrationof France and Petros Terzian, Armenian Assembly of
America, our 3 traditional parties, our churches, Catholicos Karekin
II, Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I,head of Katoghike Church Nerses
Petros X, the heads of Armenian Evangelical churches", Mrs. Melkumian
said.
Armenian embassies all over the world were actively endorsing the
telethon. Mrs. Melkumian singled out the names of Ara Ayvazyan and
Areg Hovhannisian ambassadors to Argentina and Lebanon respectively.
Mrs. Melkumian is sure that the Fund carries out its mission, which is
to bring relief to those Armenians who need help the most. "Artsakh is
still the most sensitive spot for Armenian nation", she said. Naira
Melkumian considers the telethon not simply a means for rising money
but a nationwide act of patriotism.
What makes this years' telethon a special one is the fact that Armenia
and Artsakh together assembled $1.1 million, $500 of which have been
already transferred to the Fund. The sum assembled in France (800
thousand euros) and the number of families participating in the
telethon (11.500) were also surprising. Perhaps the results of a
phonethon held in Armenia and rising 15 million AMD was also
surprising.
Mrs. Melkumian was reluctant to speak of an article by former employee
of the Fund, Tigran Paskevichian, published in Aravot daily but only
noted that Mr. Paskevichian should not have signed under it. In his
article titled "Pan-Armenian Fund or a Rich Club?" Mr. Paskevichian
criticized the telethon. If the article were written 2 years ago when
Mr. Paskevichian was still working atthe Fund it would be only
welcomed.
It must be noted that the rich were not the only participants of the
telethon. Roughly counting, only 8 million was assigned by rich
Armenians, 3 million was gathered due to common people, and that is
more than 2.5 million gathered last year. Besides, number of
participants of Telethon-2004 was much more than those of previous
years. Mrs. Melkumian refuted the rumors that huge sums were allocated
for organizational needs. "We spent less money this year than all
previous years", she said.
Besides the $11 million assembled for the North-South highway, there
were money transferred for other projects as well.
By Tatoul Hakobian
Azg/arm
4 Dec 04
Naira Melkumian, president of "Armenia" Pan-Armenian Fund is sure that
Artsakh remains the most sensitive spot for the Armenian
nation. According to Mrs. Melkumian the results of the telethon held
to assemble money for Nagorno Karabakh's strategic North-South highway
"unprecedented". The sum gathered reaches $11 million.
The Fund's office hosted journalists yesterday where
Mrs. Melkumianthanked the major benefactors Luiz-Simon Manukian ($2
millions), Eduardo Ernekian ($1.5 million), Hrayr and Gevorg
Hovnanian, Sargis Hakobian, Caroline Mugar, Gerard Gefestchian and Ara
Abrahamian.
"Ara Abrahamian called us and told jokingly how could we held telethon
without his participation", Mrs. Melkumian said. President of the
World Armenian Congress and head of the Armenians' Union of Russia
presented $250 thousand.
"I want to express my gratitude to AGBU and its head Pertch Sedrakian,
the FAR (Fund for Armenian Relief) and OAR (Organization for Armenian
Relief), our organizations on western and eastern shores of the US,
local administrationof France and Petros Terzian, Armenian Assembly of
America, our 3 traditional parties, our churches, Catholicos Karekin
II, Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I,head of Katoghike Church Nerses
Petros X, the heads of Armenian Evangelical churches", Mrs. Melkumian
said.
Armenian embassies all over the world were actively endorsing the
telethon. Mrs. Melkumian singled out the names of Ara Ayvazyan and
Areg Hovhannisian ambassadors to Argentina and Lebanon respectively.
Mrs. Melkumian is sure that the Fund carries out its mission, which is
to bring relief to those Armenians who need help the most. "Artsakh is
still the most sensitive spot for Armenian nation", she said. Naira
Melkumian considers the telethon not simply a means for rising money
but a nationwide act of patriotism.
What makes this years' telethon a special one is the fact that Armenia
and Artsakh together assembled $1.1 million, $500 of which have been
already transferred to the Fund. The sum assembled in France (800
thousand euros) and the number of families participating in the
telethon (11.500) were also surprising. Perhaps the results of a
phonethon held in Armenia and rising 15 million AMD was also
surprising.
Mrs. Melkumian was reluctant to speak of an article by former employee
of the Fund, Tigran Paskevichian, published in Aravot daily but only
noted that Mr. Paskevichian should not have signed under it. In his
article titled "Pan-Armenian Fund or a Rich Club?" Mr. Paskevichian
criticized the telethon. If the article were written 2 years ago when
Mr. Paskevichian was still working atthe Fund it would be only
welcomed.
It must be noted that the rich were not the only participants of the
telethon. Roughly counting, only 8 million was assigned by rich
Armenians, 3 million was gathered due to common people, and that is
more than 2.5 million gathered last year. Besides, number of
participants of Telethon-2004 was much more than those of previous
years. Mrs. Melkumian refuted the rumors that huge sums were allocated
for organizational needs. "We spent less money this year than all
previous years", she said.
Besides the $11 million assembled for the North-South highway, there
were money transferred for other projects as well.
By Tatoul Hakobian