Save Melkonian

Armenians worldwide mount campaign to save Melkonian
By Jean Christou

AROUND 40 influential members of the Armenian community worldwide have written an open letter to President Tassos Papadopoulos calling on him to prevent the closure of the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) in Nicosia.

The letter said the decision by the Central Board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), in New York that the 78-year old school should close in June 2005 violated human rights within the sovereign territory of Cyprus.

“We urgently request your help to correct this injustice,” the letter said.

It also said that the decision of the AGBU was illegal and contrary to the Will of the school’s founders, the Melkonian brothers.

“The Will, which was transferred from an Armenian institution to the AGBU for international political reasons does not confer to the AGBU the ownership of the belongings mentioned therein,” the letter said.

It added that the Will does stipulate for the AGBU the prerogative of the MEI’s management and the allocation of subsidies drawn from the Melkonian Funds to three other Armenian institutions devoted mainly to education and socio-cultural development of Armenians mainly in the context of Western realities and aspirations.

“The Melkonian brothers’ Will does not confer to the AGBU the right to denature or destroy these Armenian structures, therefore the closure of the MEI is not among the prerogatives of the AGBU,” it said. “More precisely the closure of the MEI is a direct violation of the human rights of Armenian communities.”

The AGBU administers 22 Armenian schools worldwide including the Melkonian, which was founded in 1926 and is today the only secondary school in Cyprus for the Armenian community plus the dozens of other Armenian pupils that board there from neighbouring countries.

The AGBU announced last month that the school would close next year, following months of speculation that was initially denied. The loss-making Melkonian is sitting on a £40 million plot in the capital’s commercial district and reports were rife that it was up for grabs by developers.

The AGBU said in November that the school was not for sale but then changed tack and announced the closure. The schools alumni is convinced the foundation’s only aim is to “take the money and run”.

“We, and hundreds of Armenians and non-Armenians of different professions…have addressed a letter to the AGBU asking for an explanation for their decision,” the letter to Papadopoulos said.