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  • N Melkumian: Artsakh Still Most Sensitive Spot for Armenian Nation

    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
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