The 2006 Telethon Raised 13.7 Million Dollars

The November 23, 2006 telethon in the United States exceeded all expectations. The press service of the President of Nagorno Karabakh announced that according to preliminary calculations $13,600,000 was raised. “Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasyan, who was in the United States and met with many influential representatives of the Armenian Diaspora played a significant role in guaranteeing the success of the telethon,” the press service states.

Indeed, the ninth telethon held in Los Angeles on November 23, surpassed the results of the preceding eight. Before the telethon some 35 million drams and 1,100,000 Euros were raised through telephone pledges in Armenia and Europe.

Every TV viewer was inspired to see how our fellow Armenians in the United States and Russia, in Argentina and Australia, in Lebanon and Canada, in Armenia and Brazil donated from one dollar to $2 million in the name of restoring and developing Nagorno Karabakh. During the 2006 Telethon major Armenian philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian's Lincy Foundation and the Project Cure organization donated $2 million each, philanthropist Vahe Karapetian donated $1.5 million, member of the board of trustees of the All-Armenia Fund Albert Boyadjian donated $1,250,000, the chairman of the Union of the Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan gave $1 million, Sargis Hakobian gave $550,000 and Louise Manoogian Simone donated $500,000.

The slogans for the telethon “I love Armenia” and “I love Artsakh”. It was hoped that the amount of donations would reach $15 million, a number that would symbolize the 15th anniversary of independence of Armenia and Artsakh. The result was $13.7 million – nearly twice as much as last year's telethon ($7.7 million). Last year's money was directed to the reconstruction of the Martakert region; this year it is the Hadrut region's turn.

The central figure of this year's telethon was Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasyan, who went to the United States on November 4 th . Of course, it is natural that the president takes part in an event that is so important for Artsakh event. But president's behavior on television was hard to understand. Sometimes I had the impression that he was the host of the telethon. Even when there was a smaller pledge, President Ghukasyan would immediately appear on the screen and announce that a certain Armenian had donated, for example, ten thousand dollars.

This showmanship does not suit a president of a country – whether recognized or not. And here some questions arise. Why did Ghukasyan try to show that he was the principal fundraiser during the telethon, or as his press service put it, “laid the foundations for the success of this event”? This is just cynicism because one person cannot claim to play such a role when we talk about a pan-national idea, not just about raising some money.

As is well known, it has been a year since a skirmish between the All-Armenia Fund and the Nagorno Karabakh leadership began—more precisely, between Naira Melkumyan, the executive director of the Fund and Arkady Ghukasyan. The mass media have covered the clash so many times that the success of the 2006 Telethon had been in doubt. Fortunately, these fears were not realized and the Hadrut region will be rebuilt and will be given the opportunity to develop. It is inappropriate and immoral to praise (if any one tries to do so) Arkady Ghukasyan or Naira Melkumyan for the success in raising the national dues. The hundred dollars donated by an American-Armenian schoolboy who made this money selling lemonade is far greater than Ghukasyan's or Melkumyan's contribution.

If Ghukasyan or Melkumyan have personal or any other problems – for example, taking the Karabakh throne for the third time (in Ghukasyan's case) or remaining executive director of the fund for another few years (in Melkumyan's case) they must understand that the fund was not created for that purpose at all. Its founders under the leadership of the first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossian tried to create a structure by which the resources collected through national dues would be directed to the development of Armenia and Artsakh and not to solving political, group, or personal problems.