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DOCUMENT BETWEEN MATENADARAN AND HILL OFFICIALLY STOPPED, MATENADARAN IS PROPOSED TO WORK OUT DETAILED PROGRAM OF DIGITIZATION
Noyan Tapan
May 24 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The agreement signed between
the Hill Museum Manuscript Library attached to the Saint John
monastery-university of the U.S. state of Minnesota and M. Mashtots
Matendaran (repository of ancient manuscrips) is illegal, so it
is stopped. Such a decision was made at the May 23 sitting of the
professional commission held at the RA Ministry of Education and
Science. RA Deputy Foreign Minister Gevorg Gharibjanian, RA Deputy
Justice Minister Gevorg Malkhasian, NAS Chairman Radik Martirosian,
YSU Rector Aram Simonian, historians, literary critics, representatives
of the high technologies sphere and others were present at the sitting.
Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian, opening the
discussion, stated that he met with Prime Minister Serge Sargsian,
then with President Robert Kocharian as well on the occasion of the
issue of interpretations of different types arisen by specialists
on digitization of the manuscrips of Matendaran. In the Minister's
words, R. Kocharian approved the program and expressed his assistance,
saying that one must implement the program step by step.
The future discussion was continued without journalists. It was found
out after the sitting from the participants' explanations that not
all members of the professional commission welcame the affair of
implementation of the agreement in the created situation.
Minister Levon Mkrtchian stated that they will send a letter to the
Hill directorate, stating that this issue will be discussed at the
RA Government. And it was demanded from the Matenadaran to present
a business plan concerning the proposal of the Hill museum within a
20-day term. "This issue was to have just such a progress as only
the agreement on intentions was still signed, and the three-stage
agreement itself was to be signed after successive discussions. Simply,
by a mistake instead of memorandum on intentions it was written
"agreement" in the document: no agreement was signed yet and no
bargain was concluded," the Minister assured.
He also added that if proposals are got from Armenian organizations
during the discussion, "naturally, priority will be given to Armenian
organizations."
To recap, two weeks ago the Matenadaran directorate made a statement
where the mentioned agreement was also announced invalid. "For I
have a rest from the noise arisen on digitization of the Matenadaran
manuscripts and criticisms of different types, I announced invalid the
agreement-contract of intentions signed with the Hill Museum Manuscript
Library, but the Ministry has its viewpoint on this occasion, so it
invited this working visit," Matenadaran Director Sen Arevshatian
said. In Sen Arevshatian's words, today's discussion is very useful:
"It is what we wanted: a competent commission which will give a correct
solution with the help of discussions. And, that the program is useful
for keeping and security of the manuscripts, it is unequivocal."
In Gevorg Gharibjanian's opinion, the reason for such a situation is
not the issue of digitization of the Matenadaran manuscripts and not
so much the issue of the agreement, as much that "the wide society
is not aware who signed that agreement." Besides, in his words,
this issue was not corectly covered for the society.
Garegin Chugaszian, the Director of the Information Technologies Fund,
who has more radical approach, stated that during the commission
sitting, Deputy Justice Minister Gevorg Malkhasian explained that
the agreement signed with Hill is stopped as it opposes the RA laws.
G. Chugaszian is sure that before signing an agreement with
Hill, Matenadaran has no program concerning digitization of the
manuscripts. "When you ask what 80-90 mln there were, on what they were
to be spent, nobody is able to clearly explain." And responding the
question if those mentioned millions are realistic or not, he said:
"One may speak about the price only when a clear program will be." In
his words, the program to be presented by Matenadaran must be discussed
by numerous professional groups after what it will enter the government
and again be discussed with the Prime Minister's participation.
Qualifying the present document as an "Utopian," Chugaszian attached
importance to the circumstance that Matendaran today has no specialists
of that sphere, can not say a based work on those issues. "We think
that digitization is not a need, but is an obliged thing and it demands
a serious professional approach," he said, adding that the Information
Technologies Fund is ready to cooperate with all organizations,
including Hill as well."
Noyan Tapan
May 24 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The agreement signed between
the Hill Museum Manuscript Library attached to the Saint John
monastery-university of the U.S. state of Minnesota and M. Mashtots
Matendaran (repository of ancient manuscrips) is illegal, so it
is stopped. Such a decision was made at the May 23 sitting of the
professional commission held at the RA Ministry of Education and
Science. RA Deputy Foreign Minister Gevorg Gharibjanian, RA Deputy
Justice Minister Gevorg Malkhasian, NAS Chairman Radik Martirosian,
YSU Rector Aram Simonian, historians, literary critics, representatives
of the high technologies sphere and others were present at the sitting.
Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian, opening the
discussion, stated that he met with Prime Minister Serge Sargsian,
then with President Robert Kocharian as well on the occasion of the
issue of interpretations of different types arisen by specialists
on digitization of the manuscrips of Matendaran. In the Minister's
words, R. Kocharian approved the program and expressed his assistance,
saying that one must implement the program step by step.
The future discussion was continued without journalists. It was found
out after the sitting from the participants' explanations that not
all members of the professional commission welcame the affair of
implementation of the agreement in the created situation.
Minister Levon Mkrtchian stated that they will send a letter to the
Hill directorate, stating that this issue will be discussed at the
RA Government. And it was demanded from the Matenadaran to present
a business plan concerning the proposal of the Hill museum within a
20-day term. "This issue was to have just such a progress as only
the agreement on intentions was still signed, and the three-stage
agreement itself was to be signed after successive discussions. Simply,
by a mistake instead of memorandum on intentions it was written
"agreement" in the document: no agreement was signed yet and no
bargain was concluded," the Minister assured.
He also added that if proposals are got from Armenian organizations
during the discussion, "naturally, priority will be given to Armenian
organizations."
To recap, two weeks ago the Matenadaran directorate made a statement
where the mentioned agreement was also announced invalid. "For I
have a rest from the noise arisen on digitization of the Matenadaran
manuscripts and criticisms of different types, I announced invalid the
agreement-contract of intentions signed with the Hill Museum Manuscript
Library, but the Ministry has its viewpoint on this occasion, so it
invited this working visit," Matenadaran Director Sen Arevshatian
said. In Sen Arevshatian's words, today's discussion is very useful:
"It is what we wanted: a competent commission which will give a correct
solution with the help of discussions. And, that the program is useful
for keeping and security of the manuscripts, it is unequivocal."
In Gevorg Gharibjanian's opinion, the reason for such a situation is
not the issue of digitization of the Matenadaran manuscripts and not
so much the issue of the agreement, as much that "the wide society
is not aware who signed that agreement." Besides, in his words,
this issue was not corectly covered for the society.
Garegin Chugaszian, the Director of the Information Technologies Fund,
who has more radical approach, stated that during the commission
sitting, Deputy Justice Minister Gevorg Malkhasian explained that
the agreement signed with Hill is stopped as it opposes the RA laws.
G. Chugaszian is sure that before signing an agreement with
Hill, Matenadaran has no program concerning digitization of the
manuscripts. "When you ask what 80-90 mln there were, on what they were
to be spent, nobody is able to clearly explain." And responding the
question if those mentioned millions are realistic or not, he said:
"One may speak about the price only when a clear program will be." In
his words, the program to be presented by Matenadaran must be discussed
by numerous professional groups after what it will enter the government
and again be discussed with the Prime Minister's participation.
Qualifying the present document as an "Utopian," Chugaszian attached
importance to the circumstance that Matendaran today has no specialists
of that sphere, can not say a based work on those issues. "We think
that digitization is not a need, but is an obliged thing and it demands
a serious professional approach," he said, adding that the Information
Technologies Fund is ready to cooperate with all organizations,
including Hill as well."