Communiqué

P R O  E D V C A T I O*

 Settlement of The MEI Crisis

(1) Facts

1.1     – The closure of the MEI (Melkonian Education Institute) has been set for June 2005 by the trustee administration, namely the AGBU’s CBD (Armenian General Benevolent Union’s Central Board of Directors). Said information was made public on 16.03.2004.

1.2      – The Worldwide opposition to the proposed closure of the MEI  is being mainly carried out  by four  interrelated and simultaneous actions by various groups and in the following manner:

a -  Approaches to the CBD of the AGBU, aimed at ensuring the continuity of the MEI activities at their current location in and within its existing estates in Nicosia-Cyprus and administered in an open and transparent manner by the AGBU.

b- Alerting  and informing the worldwide All-Armenian Commonwealth  with details of pertinent actions; data being disseminated via various media, amongst which are the savemelkonian and melkonianforevergroups and their websites (www.savemelkonian.org and www.melkonianforever.org ). It is worth noting the continuing self censorship on this subject by much of the partisan Armenian press, which curiously presents itself as democratic and liberal.

c- Government and political interventions:

c.1 – The Government of the Republic of Cyprus, which considers the MEI as not only an All Armenian institution, but also an integral part of the cultural fabric of Cyprus, has published in its Official Gazette (N° 3829 of April 2, 2004) The Preservation Order for the defence of the MEI estates.

c.2 – The Pro Edvcatio International Worldwide Group; based on Garabed Melkonian‘s Will, requested the Government of Cyprus to introduce two Amendments to the Preservation Order, in compliance with the contents of the  Will and Human Rights, covering amongst others the Freedoms of Education and Culture of Minorities.

c.3- Meanwhile the CBD of AGBU tried to dismantle and annihilate the MEI, asking the President of Cyprus as well as other high officials of this sovereign country to rescind the Protection Order, arguing that the MEI is a USA property since the CBD of the AGBU is a resident body in the USA. Besides these lobbying pressures, the same CBD has tried to have as allies the All-Armenian Catholicos and the government of the Republic of Armenia for the extermination of the MEI, regardless of the legal irrelevance of these personalities in this matter.

d -    Judiciary  cases have been prepared and proceeded against the CBD of the AGBU, based on the Garabed Melkonian’s Will which clearly defines the status of the AGBU as a trustee administrator, but not that of an owner.

(2)  Objective

To keep open the MEI as a Western Armenian Boarding High School on the entirety of  its estate in Nicosia, for All Armenian Commonwealth children regardless of their economic and social status.

(3)  Action

 3.1 Taking into consideration the text of the legal transcription of Garabed Melkonian’s Will, namely the Deed of Assignment and Transfer (Act de Cession et Transfer), the only publicly known official document related to the MEI, the Judicial Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus need to  clarify the ownership of the MEI establishment and the estate on which the MEI has been based since the early 1920’s. By definition the sovereign State of the Republic of Cyprus is the final arbiter of legal ownership issues concerning properties within it’s territories. (ref. to our letters to the President of the Republic of Cyprus and to other officials).

3.2 Taking into consideration that the MEI is the only school of its kind for the European All Armenian Commonwealth, we draw attention of the relevant authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to the fact that the closure of the MEI will prevent Armenians having access to an Education in their own Culture, thus violating their Human Rights. All necessary legal steps will be taken to prevail these Rights.

(4) W a r n i n g 

As on previous occasions, we repeat, the AGBU belongs to the All Armenian Commonwealth and not to its CBD. Just as, the All Armenian Catholicosate of the Holy Etchmiadzin does not belong to His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians, or the entity of the Republic of Armenia does not belong to its President. These individuals or groups of individuals are not morally and legally  allowed to act just according to their wishes. Their remit is to manage / govern that which has been entrusted to them within the strict rules and confines placed on them by law, whilst limiting themselves to only those tasks which have been entrusted to them.

Please note that there are still some people , like us, who do not mind who is managing or governing – but they do mind how a task is managed.

Thus while we remain respectful to all institutions and individuals concerned, in return we require them to be respectful and accountable with regard to their duties / responsibilities.

Our present actions are a continuation of our precedent ones, which for the last two years have been devoted to save the MEI, just as other groups have been striving to do by different means and ways.

Nevertheless the AGBU-CBD’s initiatives, aimed at dismantling the MEI, may cause a period of interruption in the Establishment’s educational activities. In our view in the General History of School Establishments’ Records this kind of interruption, though undesirable, is not fatal.

We are committed to  minimise this interruption and restore the MEI to its educational mission, on its estate in Nicosia.

On  behalf  of  PRO EDVCATIO*

Dr. Renata  Andréassian Psychologist (France), Tatiana Ferahian Member of EKATE (Cyprus), Sabine Haas Gamma Institutes Presidential Assistant.(Germany), Koharig Kevorkian Teacher in British School system, and multilingual Secretary for International business - retired (France), Dr Dalita a Roger-Hacian Professor of English Literature at Paris Sorbonne (France), Saritha Sherstha International Secretary for Public Relations(Nepal).

Dr. Bernard Andreassian Professer of Surgery (Fance), John Arrowsmith Journalist – Textproducer BBC World Service (UK), Hagop Arzoumanian Businessman (Argentina), Dr. Edward Barsoumian–Head of Molecular & Cellular Biology Dep. (Japan), Thierry Cornavin Legal adviser and Faculty member at the Law University of Paris-Sorbonne (France), Xavier Coron Legal Adviser (France), Souren Gorzounian International Businessman, Member of AGBU (France), Edward A. Fisher Economist, CTA of Gamma World Network, specialist for International Systems of Education (UK), Karen Karapetyan PhD International Politics (UK), Kevork Kevorkian  Electronics & Telecommunication  Engineer- retired (France), Dr. Art Maranci Mat. Tec. Engineer - retired (USA), Dr Claude Armen Moutafian Faculty Member of Paris Universities, specialist of the Armenian International Relations’ History (France), Dr Garbis Meguerian Chemical Engineer at Amaco – retired (USA) Philippe Mermod Electronics & Telecommunication Engineer, Professor of Telecommunication - retired (Switzerland), Haig Nazarian IT Engineer, Manager at British Council (Armenia), Dr Nicholas Nicolaidis President of Gamma Institutes, Public Administration specialist for long term planning (Greece), Dr. Vartan Ozinian President of Gamma Institutes World Network Mat. Sc. R&D Engineer and Political Scientist, Economist (France), Souren Sarafyan Development Director at Mettoni Ltd. Computer telephony integration (UK).

 Proeducatio@aol.com / Fax : + 33 1 42 24 46 39                                        Paris, 30th of May 2005

  

(*) The P R O    E D V C A T I O is a Worldwide International F O R V M which deals with educational matters – taking into consideration social, economic and political dimensions of the cultural dynamics – together with geopolitical realities and related strategies for the development of human resources, with respect to legitimacy and legal conditions. The P R O   E D V C A T I O ‘s    G R T A S S E R E  is a p a n e l – constituted by ad hoc /Armenians of Diaspora and foreigners – which deals with Armenian educational issues.