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AGBU Concludes Its 86th Worldwide Annual Assembly: AGBU Directors, L

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  • AGBU Concludes Its 86th Worldwide Annual Assembly: AGBU Directors, L

    AGBU CONCLUDES ITS 86TH WORLDWIDE ANNUAL ASSEMBLY: AGBU DIRECTORS, LEADERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD HEAD TO SOUTH AMERICA FOR LARGE CELEBRATION

    Front Page News
    http://www.mirrorspectator.com/?p=4148
    Nov 1, 2010
    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina

    AGBU President Berge Setrakian opened the 86th Assembly.

    The world's largest non-profit Armenian organization, the Armenian
    General Benevolent Union (AGBU), concluded its 86th annual assembly
    here, with the participation of delegates from Germany, Armenia,
    Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, United States, Lebanon,
    France, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom, Russia, Syria, Switzerland,
    Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina.

    As of 2009, the net asset of the AGBU has been assessed at
    $332,032,169. During that period, the AGBU has allocated $18,947,504
    for educational, $8,905,988 for cultural, $2,113,586 for religious and
    $3,143,586 for humanitarian purposes. AGBU runs and supports programs
    in Armenia, such as the American University of Armenia, the St.

    Nersess Hospital, AGBU Children's Centers, Armenian Philharmonic
    Orchestra, the Ultrasound Center and the Vaskenian Theological
    Seminary of Holy Echmiadzin. In Karabagh, they contribute to the
    Karabagh Chamber Orchestra and the Karabagh Repopulation Project. In
    the diaspora, AGBU sponsors over 30 day and Saturday schools in North
    and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. More than
    6,500 students are enrolled in these schools, where the curriculum
    includes instruction about their heritage and identity. Today, the AGBU
    Scholarship Program offers financial assistance to a broader range of
    Armenian students around the world such as AGBU Fellowships, Performing
    Arts Fellowships, Religious Studies Fellowships, International
    Scholarships and Heritage Scholar Grants, as well as the New York,
    Paris and Yerevan Summer Intern Programs. Along with its many cultural
    centers and day schools, the AGBU operates also Camp Nubar in the US,
    Colonie de Vacances in France, and other sites in Bulgaria and Syria
    where thousands of youth come together.

    Since 1995, the AGBU Young Professionals have been a growing network
    of YP groups and supporters from around the world who promote Armenian
    identity and heritage for young Armenians between the ages of 22 to 40.

    The 86th annual meetings program began on Wednesday, October 13,
    with a concert by violinist Sami Merdinian in the French Embassy
    of Argentina. The ambassador of France to Argentina, Jean-Pierre
    Asvazadourian, accepted the petition of the local AGBU chapter
    to host the delegates of the AGBU 86th Annual Assembly. (In 1984,
    when the AGBU 69th General Assembly was held in Buenos Aires, the
    US Embassy also hosted all the assembly delegates, headed by Life
    President Alex Manoogian.)

    Cutting the anniversary cake, from left, Ruben Kechichian, Elsa
    Kechichian, Vera Setrakian, Eduardo Eurnekian, Anahid Karmirshalyan,
    Ambassador Vladimir Karmirshalyan and Berge Setrakian

    The concert was attended by the AGBU President Berge Setrakian and
    his wife Vera; AGBU Central Board members, Ambassador of Armenia in
    Argentina Vladimir Karmirshalyan and his wife; the Primate of the
    Armenian Apostolic Church for Argentina and Chile, Archbishop Kissag
    Mouradian; businessman Eduardo Eurnekian; members of delegations and
    members of AGBU Buenos Aires. The concert was a true pleasure for
    the delegates, which ended with cocktail reception by Asvazadourian.

    Afterwards, the delegates moved to the AGBU headquarters on Armenia
    Street, and at the Nazar and Artemis Nazarian Hall, the Young
    Professionals of AGBU Buenos Aires officially greeted all the founders
    and former chairmen of the local Youth League Organization on its
    70th anniversary and the alumni of AGBU Marie Manoogian Educational
    Institute. The Educational Institute was founded in 1974 and starting
    in 1979 until now, it has graduated 605 young Armenians from its
    high school. They were the first students in the diaspora who began
    Friday night dinners with the help of their parents, to raise funds
    for their graduate travels to the motherland, Armenia. This tradition
    now has been adopted by hundreds of Armenian day schools all over
    the diaspora today.

    The next day, students at the Berdjuhi Emirian primary section of
    the Marie Manoogian Educational Institute, received the delegates and
    presented to them Argentine and Armenian traditional songs and dances.

    Delegates, presided over by Berge Setrakian and other members of the
    Board of Directors, toured the institution and visited the classrooms,
    where students were learning Armenian history and culture through
    AGBU Virtual College program, which was started two years ago by AGBU
    Central Board of Directors.

    At the French Embassy, from left, Berge Setrakian, Vera Setrakian,
    Joseph Ougourlian, Ambassador Jean-Pierre Asvazadourian and Ruben
    Kechichian

    On Friday, October 15, the official gala-dinner of the 86th General
    Assembly was held at the Hotel Four Seasons, during which Eduardo
    Eurnekian was honored. From airports to agriculture, from energy
    to banking, Eurnekian's name is synonymous with global business. A
    native of Argentina, Eurnekian is a renowned entrepreneur who has more
    recently been working to develop Armenia by investing in different
    sectors and thus creating jobs for its citizens. Eurnekian was born
    in 1932 in Argentina to Armenian immigrants. He began his career in
    the textile industry and built one of the most important companies in
    that sector in the country. In the early 1980s, Eurnekian purchased
    the bankrupt Cablevision SA cable TV station and transformed it into
    the largest private cable TV company in Latin America, with more than
    a million subscribers. He later sold the company for $750 million. His
    media involvement included, among other things, an open-air TV chain,
    several radio stations and a financial newspaper. In 1988, he formed
    a consortium called Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, and he was awarded a
    30- year concession to operate many of Argentina's airports. He has
    since expanded his business to incorporate major airports in Uruguay,
    Ecuador, Italy, Armenia and Peru. In agribusiness, Eurnekian owns
    the largest expanse of artificially irrigated land in Argentina and a
    total of 400,000 acres of farmland. He recently formed a new company,
    Tierras de Marruecos, which will explore the development of Morocco.

    During the last decade, Eurnekian began taking an active interest
    in Armenia and its future. In 2001, he started the renovation of
    Zvartnots International Airport runway and platforms - which are
    already completed - and the construction of a new high-tech terminal
    (of which phases one and two have been completed, while phase three
    is to be inaugurated in the fall of 2011.) His company, Tierras
    Armenia, works to promote agribusiness in the nation, including
    a focus on fruit and vegetable production in Arevadasht, just 40
    miles outside Yerevan. He also sponsors Fruitful Armenia, a nonprofit
    organization, which annually brings together various Armenian companies
    and organizations in an effort to promote agricultural growth, boost
    sustainable micro- usiness and train local workers. In 2006, Eurnekian
    acquired the third largest bank in Armenia, Converse Bank. He is in
    charge of the mail system in Armenia, HayPost, and the infrastructural
    renovation of its approximately 900 branches. In addition, he provides
    philanthropic help to the local Armenian communities and to the Holy
    See of Echmiadzin.

    Berge Setrakian and Eduardo Eurnekian

    A visionary businessman, Eurnekian has been named Business Man of
    the Year 1995 in Argentina, and in 1999 he received the Leonardo
    Award from the Italian government, which is given to the leading
    foreign businessman. In September 2001, he received the St. Gregory
    the Illuminator Order medal and the decoration of St. Mesrob Mashtots
    from President Berge Sargisian, the highest decoration of the country.

    AGBU, which has always encouraged philanthropy and active involvement
    in Armenian community life, honored Eurnekian in appreciation of his
    commitment to bettering the lives of Armenians.

    Setrakian made Eurnekian an honorary member of the Central Council
    of the AGBU, which received a standing ovation and lengthy applause.

    Eurnekian humbly announced that he is just doing his duty for his
    people in Argentina and in Armenia. The whole episode and the gala
    dinner was televised by the Local TV 5 and aired to the public
    through YouTube.

    Gala dinner participants

    On Saturday morning, the 86th Assembly took place at Sahagian hall,
    with the participation of more than 200 delegates and members. All
    speeches were simultaneously translated into English, Armenian,
    French and Spanish. After the Argentinean, Armenian and AGBU anthems,
    Setrakian opened the assembly with an encouraging speech, emphasizing
    AGBU's educational, cultural and humanitarian work. A financial report
    of the last two years was presented to the delegates. After the reports
    submitted by advisers, delegates voted to elect Joseph Ougourlian of
    New York as new member of the Central Board of Directors, to replace
    Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, whose term as member expired, according to
    the AGBU by-laws provisions of reaching the age of 75.

    Finally, Archbishop Mouradian surprised all the delegates by reading
    Catholicos Karekin II's pontifical decree addressed to Bedros
    Piandarian, long time financial director of AGBU Central Board
    of Directors in New York, and a second decree addressed to Ruben
    Kechichian, chairman of AGBU Buenos Aires Chapter, and decorated them
    with the Nerses Shnorhali medals.

    After the meeting, the delegates went to the land adjacent to Alex
    Manoogian Cultural Center and laid the foundation stone of the new
    General Antranik scouts' center.

    (Compiled by Kevork Marashlian, sources included the ADL newspaper
    Sardarabad of Buenos Aires, the AGBU website, contributions from Diana
    Der Garabedian, editor of Sardarabad and AGBU Buenos Aires Chapter.)




    From: A. Papazian
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