EDITORIAL. IRONY OF GENOCIDE MUSEUM: A SORE POINT FOR ARMENIANS, BLISS FOR TURKS
For some months now, the Armenian Reporter weekly, whose president and CEO is benefactor Gerard L. Cafesjian, has printed articles which lists what is claimed to be financial contribution of each trustee of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial, (AGMM) to that project, yet to be built in Washington, DC, two blocks from the White House.
This is a method that tries to tarnish the reputation of well-known and respected individuals in our community who have given years of service and money to Armenia and the diaspora. The community does not want this any more.
What has prompted this gimmick is equally unworthy.
Mr. Cafesjian is suing the Armenian Assembly and all AGMM trustees, except Mr. John Waters, who is employed by him. He is trying to stop the present progress of the museum project and to reclaim title of the four properties adjoining the National Bank building, which is the planned site of the Armenian Genocide Museum. These four plots purchased by Mr. Cafesjian and donated to AGMM, have appreciated in value since that time and would constitute a substantial profit if sold now.
We are sure that Mr. Cafesjian does not realize that a lawsuit threatening the creation of the museum in our nation's capital memorializing the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide is disgraceful enough and favorable turn of event for the Turkish Government and all denialists in the US.
The Armenian Reporter stated all these when it published a series of articles by John Waters that chronicled, what he says, was the history of the controversy. Mr. Waters cited discussions and debates among the principals and claimed in effect that Mr. Cafesjian's efforts were undermined by the rest of the Trustees whofailed to share his vision of a grand Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington. One reader asked why the views of those being criticized were not included in the paper's coverage. The editors claimed that the museum's current trustees are planning a project so modest in size and scope that it is unworthy of depicting the Armenian Genocide. They then printed a press release by AGMM with arrows and margin notes demeaning the museum's progress and plans.
All this prompted us to obtain a publicly available court documents that summarized the essence of the controversy. The Armenian Assembly presented it to the court and AGMM and its contents were very revealing. It showed that Mr. Cafesjian was named chairman of the enterprise from 2003 to 2006 and his colleague John Waters secretary and treasurer. They were given wide latitude to plan, develop and build the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial. At Mr. Cafesjian's request the Armenian Assembly agreed to drop its sponsorship of the museum in favor of an independent corporation. The Armenian Assembly's board of directors turned title of the National Bank building, the core site of the museum project, to the AGMM, as well as its subsidiary, the Armenian National Institute, (ANI). ANI, a renowned authority on the Armenian Genocide, was to serve as the intellectual and programming heart of the future museum.
Mr. Cafesjian's chairmanship was described as unresponsive to requests for information and records from other trustees. The claimants asserted that both Mr. Cafesjian and Mr. Waters wasted AGMM assets and "breached their fiduciary duties" to the AGMM. The document listed other acts of failed management. It sought to grant the Assembly and AGMM a series of nine separate actions of relief to alleviate the affects of misdeeds and other arbitrary actions. Most importantly, it asked that AGMM be declared the "sole and exclusive owner" of all properties over which it has title.
There is much more in the court document...too much to be discussed in one article.
However, what is clear is that Mr. Cafesjian had three years as chairman during which time the museum's progress was very problematic. He then decided to abandon the project and proceeded after a year to sue his trustee colleagues and the Assembly to reclaim the four properties he ceded to the AGMM, which by thenhad appreciated in value...
We also know that repeated efforts were made by the AGMM trustees to resolve the problem privately and amicably, but Mr. Cafesjian always refused. Even His Holiness Karekin II, during the his pontifical visit last October to the US offered to meet with Mr. Cafesjian and AGMM trustees to find out if a common ground could be found to affect a resolution of the problem, failed.
To that effect we got in contact also with Mr. John Waters, who commented the following: "In a perfect world, we wouldn't be suing the Assembly or involve the museum in the actions. The driving force to get anything done (for the museum) was Mr. Cafesjian. He attended every single meeting. There were a lot of discussions. We recommended that a team be assembled for the project board on how to get forward. AGMM sent packages to 60 architectural firms. From that, we got 30 responses. One of the 30 was Edgar Papazian, who made a presentation to the board in early 2006. The person represented by the Assembly and Hovnanian rejected his concept and all other previous proposals. Then Mr. Cafesjian said he would resign."
Thus, it seems the matter is fated to be battled out in the courts.
Huge legal fees, continued embarrassment for the community, more angry rhetoric in the Armenian Reporter and blissful Turkish disposition can be expected.
This newspaper has been in disagreement with several projects that the Armenian Assembly has done in the past, and we might disagree on future projects as well, but we are confident that the Armenian Genocide Museum will become a noble icon memorializing the unparalleled tragedy of our people under the direction of the Armenian Assembly, because we have seen their plans and anticipate their progress, especially after their recent partnership with the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia.
It deserves the full support of the Armenian Community and we urge everybody to let them complete their mission.
- Press Committee of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator
EDITORIAL. IRONY OF GENOCIDE MUSEUM: A SORE POINT FOR ARMENIANS, BLISS FOR TURKS
Press Committee of the Armenian Mirror-SpectatorFor some months now, the Armenian Reporter weekly, whose president and CEO is benefactor Gerard L. Cafesjian, has printed articles which lists what is claimed to be financial contribution of each trustee ...TURKEY DENIES PROPOSAL ON BUSINESS COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
Translated by A.M.Armenian-Turkish business union informs that the proposal to establish the organization's office in Istanbul was declined. The proposal was submitted to the Turkish authorities in May 2007 by the Armenian-Turkish ..."THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE; TRUTH AND POLICY" CONFERENCE IN GREAT BRITAIN
Translated by L.H.House of Commons of Great Britain held a conference on May 8 under heading "The ; truth and policy". Chairperson, Member of House Bob Pink underlined that Great Britain should recognize the . Director ...STREET FIGHTING IN BEIRUT
Yesterday a quarrel occurred between the Government of Lebanon and the "Hzbollah" organization. The quarrel was caused by the Government's decision to disable the video monitoring cameras in the Beirut ...WORLD ARMENIAN CONGRESS AND UNION OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA TO HOLD A NEW CONTEST - 80.000 US DOLLARS OF FUND TO SCIENCE AND CREATORS
By Aghavni Haroutunian, translated by L.H."From the beginning of its foundation Union of Armenians in Russia (UAR) and then World Armenian Congress (WAC) pay great attention to the development of science, art, education, and the promotion to ...
BUSINESSMAN SAMVEL KARAPETIAN READY TO INVEST 250 MLN USD
Translated by L.H.SECRET TALKS IN BERN
By S. Shahinian, president of Switzerland-Armenia Society, Translated by A.M.MORE DETAILS ON ARMENIA-TURKEY SECRET CONTACTS REVEALED
By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.AMERICAN-ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN SEROB TER-POGHOSIAN RESPONDS TO THE CALL OF THE PRESIDENT
STATEMENT OF THE UNION OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA
Translated by L.H.
CATHOLICOS OF ALL-ARMENIANS URGES ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Translated by L.H
ARMENIA AND TERRORISM ACCORDING TO US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
By A. Manvelian, translated by A.M.ARMENIA'S 'CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST'
EDITORIAL. IRONY OF GENOCIDE MUSEUM: A SORE POINT FOR ARMENIANS, BLISS FOR TURKS
Press Committee of the Armenian Mirror-SpectatorMAMEDYAROV ADDRESSED THE WEST TO CONVINCE ARMENIA ON KARABAKH CONFLICT
By h. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.TURKEY MAY USE RUSSIAN S-300 SYSTEMS TO BUILD MISSILE SHIELD
MONUMENT TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN CYPRUS
By Hakob Chakrian, translated by L.H.TURKEY DENIES PROPOSAL ON BUSINESS COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
Translated by A.M.TURKEY SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN A SEAT ON UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier"TURKEY HAS TWO PRECONDITIONS FOR ARMENIA"
By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.
- 1804 Mamed Khan of Yerevan, knowing of the Russian force's progress, orders the migration (for the duration of the war) of about 20000 Armenians from the Khanate of Yerevan to Ghars.
- 1810 Birth of Gabriel Aivazovski in Feodosia (Ukraine). He died in 1880 in Tbilissi (Georgia).
- 1838 Birth of Viscount James Bryce (statesman). He served under Prime Minister William Gladstone. He was a founder of the League of Nations. He wrote on jurisprudence and political science. He vociferously condemned the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government. He died in 1922.
- 1848 The Lazaryan College (Moscow) becomes the Institute of Western Languages.
- 1855 The Sultan orders, for the first time, the draft for the Christians in Turkey. The order was ineffective.
- 1920 Armenia's Revolutionary Military Committee in Alexandropol and proclaims the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia.
- 1923 Birth of Heydar Aliev, First Secretary of the Communist Party in Azerbaijan, Head of the Azeri Turk subdivision of the Soviet KGB, Member of the USSR Politbureau, and Head of Atheistic Propaganda under the Soviet regime. Committed Genocide against the Armenians of Nakhitshevan and Artsakh. Took over the presidency of Azerbaijan in 1993.
- 1941 The Ten-day Festival of Armenian Literature starts in Moscow (Russia).
- 1943 Garegeen the First (Hovsepyants) is anointed Catholicos of Cilicia in Antilias' Cathedral.
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