GIBRAHAYER
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CYPRUS GOVERNMENT ISSUES NEW PRESERVATION ORDER ON MELKONIAN PROPERTY
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRAISES MINISTER SYLIKIOTIS AND ARMENIAN
REPRESENTATIVE MAHDESSIAN FOR THEIR HELP
Nicosia (March 2, 2007) — The Melkonian Alumni Association of Cyprus
would like to announce that Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis has
issued a new preservation order on for the disputed estate of the
Melkonian school in Nicosia which could cause indefinite delays in the
administrators’ efforts to dispose of the land.
The order was published in the Republic of Cyprus Official Gazette
(Section III(i), No. 4178) on Friday, March 2nd, 2007, with immediate
effect, which means that no one can harm any part of the old buildings
erected in 1925 or even cut any of the trees of the forest on Limassol
Ave. planted by the first orphans who found shelter in Cyprus after
the Genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.
A previous order, declaring most of the 125,000 sq.m. property a
heritage site with "historical, architectural and national importance"
had been overturned by the Supreme Court in Nicosia last December
following an appeal by the lawyers of the AGBU.
The Armenian community then wrote to the President of the Supreme
Court, the Attorney General, political party leaders and the Interior
Minister expressing its dismay at the decision and calling on all
parties involved to review the matter and reinstate the preservation
order.
Reports published in the Cyprus media and reported on CyBC public
television in February suggested that the Town Planning Dept. had
reviewed the case and was working on a new preservation order based on
stronger arguments justifying the decision in order to prevent the
case from being thrown out of court again.
"I am delighted with this news as it shows the determination of the
Republic of Cyprus and in particular the Minister of Interior to
protect this important site not only for the Armenians of Cyprus and
the whole Diaspora, but also for all the people of Cyprus for whom the
Melkonian has been and will always be a jewel with historic value,"
said the Armenian Representative in the House, Vartkes Mahdessian.
The Melkonian Alumni, who were at the forefront of the struggle to
save the Melkonian ever since the decision to close the school was
made three years ago, were praiseful of the efforts of a few dedicated
people at the Town Planning Authority.
"They seem to have appreciated more than some people in Cyprus and
abroad the true value and importance of this historic school and the
need for quality education," the Alumni said.
The Alumni also made references to the justification used to
reintroduce the new preservation order according to which it is deemed
imperative "to protect the larger part of the property with historic
traditional buildings as a unified whole, as the property with its
structured and natural environs is part of the larger historic and
traditional town planning network of Nicosia, which must be
protected."
The Alumni conclude that "with such decisions, as well as the general
support of the whole community, hopes to reopen the school one day are
revived. We thank the Representative, Mr. Mahdessian and the
Minister, Mr. Sylikiotis, for all their efforts in this direction."