WHAT WILL BE WITH ARMENIA FOUNDATION?
Naira Hayrumyan
KarabakhOpen
01-05-2008 10:36:04
Since 1992 the name of Armenia Foundation featured in news about
the construction of schools, roads, water pipelines in Karabakh. The
foundation built houses, schools, hospitals, laid out water pipes. The
construction of two major highways – Goris-Stepanakert and North-South
– were also related to Armenia Foundation. Perhaps it is even difficult
to count the value of all projects implemented by the foundation in
Karabakh over the past years.
Over the past ten years Armenia Foundation has held telethons in Los
Angeles raising money for the rebirth of Artsakh. Either times have
changed or the Diaspora is tired of helping Karabakh, or yet there
are other reasons but recently some things regarding the foundation
are not quite easy to understand.
On February 7 the president of Nagorno-Karabakh Bako Sahakyan
met with the executive director of Armenia Foundation Vahe
Aghabekyans. Agreement was reached to set up an office of the
foundation in Stepanakert. A lot of time has passed but the issue of
the office has not been brought up again. The manager of the programs
for Artsakh Michel Tancrez continues to work in Karabakh who apparently
not empowered to represent the foundation to NKR.
Besides, the annual meeting of the board of trustees which is
still headed by the ex-president Robert Kocharyan has not been held
yet. Apparently, inside the foundation they have not decided yet
where to head and what to do. Especially that serious problems have
occurred relating to the dropping rate of the dollar, and the value
of the money raised during the telethon in autumn has halved.
Judging by private talks, it is not a mere replacement of the
head of the board of trustees but a reform of the structure of the
foundation. Since consultations are not open, it is difficult to tell
what options are offered. However, it is self-evident that reforms
and a more distinct distribution of powers are necessary.
Armenia Foundation was set up in the very beginning of the independence
of Armenia in 1992 by a decision of the first president Levon
Ter-Petrosyan.
The process of establishment of the foundation was complicated due to
its unique structure: an effort was made to include both the government
and the society in its structure, in addition, not only the society of
Armenia but also the Armenian Diaspora. Here is the structure which
has not changed so far: the head of the foundation is the president
of Armenia, the board of trustees includes the prime minister and the
speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, the minister of foreign
affairs, the minister of finance, the president of the Central Bank,
the president and prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Catholicos
of all Armenians Garegin II, the head of the Great House of Cilicia
Aram I, the representatives of the protestant and catholic churches.
The leaders of the three traditional parties – the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, the Ramkavar Party and the Henchak Party – are
permanent representatives to the foundation. The three major charity
organizations of the Diaspora – the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(Perdj Sedrakian), the Armenian Assembly of America (Hrair Hovnanian)
and the Armenian Relief Society (Maro Minassian) have representatives
to the board. Outstanding Diaspora Armenians are members of the board,
such as Charles Aznavour, Eduardo Eurnekian, Louise Simon Manougian,
Vardan Grigorian, Tigran Izmirlian, Albert Boyadjian, and others.
Armenia Foundation is not just a benevolent organization but a
structure which aims to help the government to solve problems which
it cannot solve alone. During the military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh
and the economic crisis in Armenia the Winter program was implemented,
and 21 million dollars was raised to solve the problem of energy. In
all these years the Foundation has provided assistance for the
reconstruction of the area of the earthquake, it has built a
residential area in Gyumri and in Spitak, as well as schools.
One of the main goals of the Foundation is assistance in the
development of the economy of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2005 the program
of reconstruction of Martuni was assessed 17 million dollars, during
the telethon in 2005 7 million dollars of donations were pledged and
5 million was raised. The program was curtailed. The telethon of 2005
raised 13.7 million dollars for the region of Hadrut, while the value
of the program was 7 million dollars.
As part of the program of reconstruction of Hadrut, Armenia Foundation
started to lay out water pipelines for the villages of Mets Tagher,
Drakhtik and Azokh, as well as the regional center Hadrut. It is
also foreseen to lay out 18 km of gas pipes between the village of
Togh and Hadrut, repair the regional hospital, build schools, repair
roads and irrigation pipelines.
During the telethon 2007 a record 15 million dollar sum was
raised which should be spent on the reconstruction of the region
of Martakert. The program included drinking and irrigation water
pipelines, health and education. However, no tenders have been
announced yet. Moreover, the fund was said to suspend the programs
of the hospital of Martakert and the water pipelines in the region
of Hadrut.
"No matter what complex programs Armenia Foundation will implement,
it will always work in Artsakh, increase investments, which matches
the stance of the board of trustees of the foundation," runs the
message of the department of public relations of the Foundation.