COMMUNITY HEARS OF COURT RULINGS IN FAVOUR OF AGBU AND AGAINST MEI ALUMNI AND ARCH. MUTAFIAN

Gibrahayer
Dec 8, 2008
Nicosia

Armenian National Committee of Cyprus Press release – Nicosia 29
November 2008 – The Armenian National Committee of Cyprus organised a
"round table" discussion on the closure of the Melkonian school on
the 19th November 2008.

In her opening speech ANCY member Vartoug Hagopian talked about the
importance of Armenian schools and institutions and the negative
impact their closure may have on the struggles of the Armenian nation
and the Armenian cause.

During his introductory speech, ANCY Chairman Hagop Manougian,
read out a questionnaire that was sent out earlier this year to the
Melkonian Advisory Committee querying on the reasons of the closure of
the school and its prior financial status and the Melkonian Advisory
Committee brief answer to the questionnaire, which informed that both
suits against the AGBU in Los Angeles and Cyprus by the Melkonian
alumni and Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, respectively, had been ruled
in favour of the AGBU.

In his speech, Melkonian Alumni Vice-Chairman Masis Der Partogh
clarified that the legal proceedings in Cyprus against the AGBU
did not proceed "due to technical reasons", without clarifying what
those reasons where. An interesting debate took place amongst the
ones present on many issues such as how and whether to continue the
struggle to reopen the school.

Only a few young generation Melkonian graduates were present at the
event. The Melkonian Advisory Committee representatives as well as
Benon Sevan, AGBU Central Board member, although invited, refused to
attend the evening. Present were Henchagian and ARF Dashnaktsoutiun
Cyprus political party representat ives as well as Armenian MP Vartkes
Mahdessian, who reiterated his support to those in the community who
were against the closure of the school.

In all, it turned out that, due to non-transparent procedures by
both the Cyprus Melkonian Alumni and the AGBU, more questions were
raised than answered, which justified the necessity of organising
such an event.