In October 2012, on the occasion of AGBU's 87th General Assembly in Yerevan, a new AGBU educational and cultural initiative was announced by Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan and AGBU President Berge Setrakian.

Today, plans are already underway for the development of the Armenian General Benevolent Union's (AGBU) cultural, educational and artistic complex in Stepanakert - the AGBU NKR Campus. This dynamic initiative will provide new and innovative opportunities to the scholastically diverse urban and rural communities throughout NKR.

The Center will serve students of all ages, members of parliament, government officials and other entities, and offer courses in English language improvement, preparatory classes for university entrance exams, and creative and media technologies (animation, video game design, web development and more). In addition, classes in music, management, tourism development and more will be offered.

AGBU President Berge Setrakian remarked, "We are convinced that education and culture are key factors in the development of any nation. The AGBU NKR Campus will become a hub of learning activity that will provide people of all ages in Nagorno Karabakh new opportunities."

To realize this initiative, AGBU signed an agreement with the American University of Armenia (AUA) in February, to develop a Continuing Education Program (CEP), through its Extension Program.

This program will begin operations in April 2013 at a temporary location while the AGBU NKR Campus is being built in Stepanakert and it is expected to serve several hundred students. AGBU has committed to supporting the CEP in the amount of $575,000, over the course of five years.

Photo: Bako Sahakyan (left) and Berge Setrakian