Armenians worldwide mount campaign to save Melkonian
By Jean Christou

Cyprus Mail
10 April 2003

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 theMEI 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
professionsâ=80¦ have addressed a letter to the AGBU asking for an
explanation for their decision, ‘ the letter to Papadopoulos said.