NEW CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO REOPEN MELKONIAN INSTITUTE IN CYPRUS

hetq.am/en/diaspora/8267/
2009/04/23 | 14:54

A article in today’s Cyprus Mail reports that an on-line petition
campaign has been launched to reopen the Melkonian Educational
Institute (MEI) in Cyprus.

"We are hoping to collect at least 8,000-10,000 signatures. Once
we have a significant number, we will form a delegation to see
President Christofias about the future of the school," stated Masis
Der-Pargthoghh, a Melkonian alumnus who helped organize the campaign.

Mr. Der-Parthogh explained that the two-year lease between the the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Cyprus Ministry
of Education to house the Aglandjia Gymnasium at the Melkonian
facilities – while the Gymnasium was undergoing repairs – is expiring
this summer. The ministry has requested an extension, according to
Der-Parthogh, to remain at Melkonian further. Meanwhile, however,
the current AGBU chairman visited Cyprus in January to meet President
Christofias and House President Garoyian.

"Our fear was that he was here to settle the issue of the estate once
and for all," Der-Parthogh said. "Obviously they [AGBU] aspired to
have the preservation orders removed, hence the high-level meetings,"
he added.

This rent-free agreement made by the AGBU, whose Central Board in
New York decided on the closure of the Melkonian school in 2005, amid
rampant allegations that the land was to be sold off for profit, was
seen by many as a ‘good PR stunt’ in building relations with the local
authorities. The AGBU had been entrusted with the administration of
the MEI by the founding Melkonian brothers. Legal proceedings ensued
against the AGBU, leading only to a "legal stalemate" – the judges in
Nicosia deciding there were no grounds to proceed – while a similar
case is still "lingering in court" in the US," Der-Parthogh said.