WHAT IS HIDDEN BEHIND FUNDRAISING?
Gevorg Sargsyan

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 28 2007

The telethon of Armenia Foundation which raised 15 million dollars
in November answered the question which had been raised for a number
of times. The problems connected with the financial contacts of the
ex-president of NKR Arkady Ghukasyan and the Armenian Diaspora are
meant. The Armenian society has not forgotten yet the statements by
this figure that Karabakh would get no money without Ghukasyan. Stuck
to the idea of running a third term in Karabakh, for a long time Arkady
Ghukasyan was trying to display his indispensability and exclusive
"value" for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fortunately, Karabakh ridded of Ghukasyan without major aftershock.

The recent telethon showed that this fact influenced the donations
of the Armenian Diaspora (this telethon had a record high result).

Meanwhile, Ghukasyan was duping people for a long time that during
his travels to Western countries that lasted for months he "toiled"
to raise money for NKR, and this bubble burst at once. However,
there are still a number of questions about the period of suspicious
relations between Ghukasyan and some representatives of the Armenian
Diaspora, which continue to torment many people. In particular,
a lot remains unknown about property bought by foreigners in NKR,
as well as spending of donations.

The mystery about the funding of the development program of Martakert
which caused controversies between the leadership of Armenia Foundation
and the NKR government for over a year, one thirds of North-South
left unfinished while the money necessary for its completion had been
raised in 2005, property handed over to Swiss businessmen on obscure
conditions: here is the incomplete list of problems connected with
the financial "epopee" of the former NKR government.

There is also a lot of contemplation on major machinations in
banking in NKR. In fact, there is no need to mention that former NKR
high-ranking officials and their relatives have bought considerable
property outside NKR. Actually, the recently urgent problem of
criminality among the high-ranking officials of Armenia is now
affecting Nagorno-Karabakh. The financial means and public wealth
in NKR has been flowing to the pockets of a narrow circle of people
for years on, separately or cooperatively. Meanwhile, the media have
reported this for a number of times.

Now the time of "settling scores" has come. Recently the new prime
minister of NKR has revealed major misuse in the energy sector. For
years on, not only the new prime minister has known about embezzlement
in this sphere. Simply the new government of NKR is trying to place the
responsibility for the hard social and economic situation of NKR on its
predecessor. Nobody answers the questions that are raised. Meanwhile,
the international reputation of NKR continues to fall. Donations of
15 million dollars is certainly good but strategically it reveals
the incapacity of the young Karabakhi state.

A government which presents a single road and a few buildings built in
ten years as a major achievement is not only hypocrite and immoral but
also criminal. People of an unrecognized state who think 15 million
drams is a worthy gift for them have no future. An understanding
society and politicians may forgive ten years of missed opportunities
but they may also reevaluate and give it a deciding evaluation. An
evaluation which may change the attitude toward the state of Karabakh
and its future.