Yervant1 Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 WHEN YOU PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH ISMirror SpectatorEditorial 10-25 NovBy Edmond Y. AzadianI dedicate this week's article to Harutune Yessayan, a benefactorin his early 90s who recently contributed $325,000 towards theconstruction of a hospital in Armenia. Mr. Yessayan confronted melast week in Toronto, Canada, with a copy of my last column in thisnewspaper and asked me to focus on some positive developments inArmenia. I surmise he wanted to be assured that the contributionsfrom diasporan organizations and individuals are not meant to fillin sinkholes in Armenia but contribute towards a solid foundationfor Armenia.It is a historic fact -- and no one with a clear conscience can denyit -- that every time Armenia has lost its independence and fallenunder foreign domination, internal conflicts have contributed to itseventual collapse.Yes, indeed, Seljuks were barbarians from the Central Asian plains,who invaded Armenia, but had the Armenians been strong internally,the medieval city of Ani, with its 1,001 churches would not havecollapsed and been overrun by those barbaric invaders.The Mamluks were equally ferocious. They came all the way from Egypt toconquer the Armenian kingdom in Cilicia, taking our last king, LevonVI, as a prisoner. But had our princes at the time used some visionto consolidate the kingdom, rather than fighting with each other,or even worse, colluding with the enemy, most probably Armenianswould have kept their state in Cilicia and Mihran Damadian wouldnot have resorted to an ill-fated coup d'etat in 1920 and Aram I,Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, would not have to appeal tocourts in Turkey or the International Court of Human Rights to claimour legitimate religious center in historic Sis.Traditionally, our individual egos are so inflated that we lose theperspective of the future by failing to act collectively.Today is no different; we have more naysayers than true believers. Wehave more critics than contributors.Armenia is located at a geostrategic part of the world and has itsexternal enemies who have rushed to set their operations beforeany charitable organization could reach there. A well-financed newsmedia is already in place to amplify any mistake or defect to movethe population to desperation.After the last parliamentary elections, part of the USAID's MillenniumChallenge Account was cancelled, damaging the agricultural sector,which is already ailing. The excuse was that the elections were notfair and democratic. While Azerbaijan is the worst violator of humanrights, with the largest number of journalists in jail, every ruleis bent (i.e. Freedom Support Act, Article 907) to continue pumpingeconomic and military aid to the Aliyev dynasty.Many foreign agencies foresee variations of orange or rose revolutionsin store for Armenia and they keep fanning the flames of politicalunrest in the country. Their activities are complemented by diasporando-gooders, who are engaged in introducing democratic reforms inArmenia by creating a remote-controlled parliament.Every person, every group, has his or her own prescriptions to saveArmenia, seldom realizing that the only prescription is to lend ahand to the vital sectors of the economy to keep the country going.I am thinking of the doctor in Istanbul, listening to Armenia'snational anthem on her death bed, confronting the finality of life witha clear conscience that she has contributed her life savings towardsestablishing a political science department in a Yerevan university,to train young diplomats to run their country.I am thinking of the Diaspora Armenian businessman who built amillion-dollar factory in Karabagh, saying, "If we lose Karabagh,the hell with my million."I am thinking of Levon Kebabjian and his wife, who leave behind theirluxurious apartment in a Paris bedroom community, and spend monthson the Karabagh mountains to donate cows to families living belowsubsistence levels.I am thinking of a Herman Hintiryan, a jeweler with a heart of gold,in the US, who single-handedly is funding the Terchounian Orphanagein Gumri.I am thinking of the Armenia Tree Project which is helping to recoverArmenia's ecology.Fortunately, there are so many individuals and groups who contributefinancially and technologically to save the country.Kirk Kerkorian is one of those who have poured hundreds of millions toshore up the roads and to renovate venerable cultural institutions,which had fallen into disrepair, despite the naysayers knocking onhis door.Architect Osep Sarafian has raised more than a million dollars forprojects sponsored by the Armenian Social Investment Fund (ASIF),ensuring that the country receives 95 percent of matching fundsfrom the World Bank. To date, almost $18 million in projects havebeen completed benefitting 122 villages in Armenia, including waterprojects, irrigation and cultural centers.Armenia's major problem is its brain drain. During the Soviet period,the republic was part of a huge global economic unit with immenseresources and commensurate markets. Scientists gravitated to Armeniaas it was at the vanguard of many scientific achievements. TheMergelian Institute was the foremost hub of scientific and militaryprojects. With the collapse of the Soviet empire, many of the prominentscientists scattered across the globe and landed lucrative jobs. Nomatter how patriotic they are, the economics of the situation do notallow them to return to Armenia, where opportunities as well as highcompensation are rare.However, the country is resource poor. Some uranium, gold andmolybdenum mines are tapped mostly by foreign firms, sometimes tothe detriment of the environment. Still, the main resource remainsthe well-educated and exceptionally bright youth and the initiativesto counter the brain drain are the most viable avenues for Armenia'ssurvival.Throughout the blockade, Armenian scientists were able to exporttheir products on line, contributing to the economy and helping theyoung talents living and creating in the homeland.In this particular arena, a visionary project has been the foundingthe Tumo Center for Creative Technologies. A 75,000-square-footfacility sitting on 50 acres of green space in the heart of Yerevan,it is designed to educate more than 1,000 students daily on computertechnology at no charge. The campus is the creation of Sam and SylvaSimonian, from Dallas. It is estimated that more than $50 million wasinvested in the project, with millions slated for continued upkeepof the site and salaries for the staff.Another world-class project is the Cosmic Ray Division on MountAragats. It is part of the Yerevan Physics Institute, founded in1943 by noted physicist Artem Alikhanian. Despite the loss of theSoviet central government investments, the division, headed by AshotChilingarian, employs 80 physicists, engineers, technicians andstudents, under dire conditions. In the winter, they are strandedon the mountain for weeks. The CRD has two high-altitude cosmic rayand solar monitoring stations on Mr. Aragats: the Aragats Station at3,200 meters and the Nor-Ambert Station at 2,000 meters.CRD's two observatories collect data, which is analyzed usingsophisticated mathematical software developed by the CRD itself. Theirresearch is of both theoretical and practical interest. Solar flaresand mass eruptions, when directed toward each other, adversely affectpower grids on earth and can damage satellites as well as endangeringastronauts. Scientists there are now working on an early warning systemprototype which can alert satellite operators up to 30 minutes beforethe damaging effects of solar flares reach the earth. This servicecan result in billions in savings.CRD scientists represent Armenia at a number of internationalscientific conferences and have received wide acclaim for theirefforts.It has been supported by Giragos and Harutune Vaporciyan and theirfamilies from the US, with contributions running more than hundreds ofthousands. Anahid Yeremian, a physicist at Stanford, contributes fromthe West Coast with a missionary zeal and promotes the CRD worldwidein scientific circles. In fact, she and a few others have formed thegroup Friends of CRD, whose sole mission is to raise funds so thatCRD can keep employing the same brilliant minds.Another major initiative is the founding of the Dilijan InternationalSchool. Sometimes one can hear complaints that oligarchs in Armeniaand Russia do not help their kin. Rouben Hayrapetian, who is sittingin a Russian jail, has contributed hundreds of millions to his nativeArtsakh. Despite rampant pessimism, Rouben Vardanian and his spouse,Veronika Zonabend of Russia have invested $115 million in the DilijanSchool, which is the 13th member of the United World Colleges and thefirst international boarding school in Armenia. Besides Vardanian,the founding patrons are Gagik Adibekyan (Russia), Noubar and AnnaAfeyan (US), Vladimir and Anna Avetissian (Russia) and Oleg Mkrtchyan(Ukraine).Once you start to detail projects and initiatives, the danger is thatmany similar projects are left out. But these salient contributionswill speak about the positive outlook of the rest.Of course, Armenia Fund, and our traditional organizations havebeen continuing their support. The AGBU, ARS, AMAA, Tekeyan CulturalAssociation, Knights of Vartan and many, many other groups have madeArmenia's survival a priority.There are many unsung heroes who contribute to charities or initiatebusinesses to keep Armenia live. The difficulties are tremendous,some of them artificially created. Corrupt functionaries try to gettheir cut, before Armenia benefits from diasporan generosity. Manywell-meaning people are turned off for good -- and for good reason. Butothers find ways to bypass the hurdles and continue their positivework.Armenians have armchair diplomats, pundits and philosophers aroundthe world with a profusion of ideas and suggestions. Some of themare well meaning while others are disingenuous and self-serving.Over and above all ideas and suggestions, Armenia will survive onpositive and material contributions.Armenia will survive and thrive when we put our money where ourmouth is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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