Vatche Manoukian and Armen Sarkissian come from different backgrounds. One is a very successful businessman and the other a former diplomat with no ambitions to return to political life in Armenia. But as independent thinkers, their paths often inadvertently cross, and more so in their approach to long term projects in education which both believe is the best tool in the hands of a new generation of Armenians—the leaders of the years to come. "Politics alone does not safeguard the survival of a nation," said Armen Sarkissian, a former Ambassador to the United Kingdom who also served as Prime Minister of Armenia in 1996. "Politicians come and go, but technocrats, trained people, specialists and thinkers remain the only safeguard in a process which depends on continuity regardless of who is in power," Sarkissian said. His thoughts are shared by Vatche Manoukian, one of the first Diaspora Armenians who has invested millions of dollars in Armenia since the early years of independence and continues to maintain several viable business ventures there. But what makes both men unique, is not measured by dollars and cents. A look at their achievements, and what they are doing today is a clear indication of the depth and perspective they share on such key issues as nation-building. Manoukian, one of the most successful businessmen in the Armenian Diaspora, was born in 1945 in Beirut, where he also spent his early childhood before going to boarding school in Cyprus and engineering school in Britain. Settling in England, Manoukian has built a major business empire. But his personal success has only increased his determination to help Armenia and Armenians in more ways than one. In the past ten years, Manoukian has created thousands of jobs in Armenia though his investments and the factories he has established, along with his major input in the banking sector. One conservative estimate of his investments to date hovers around the 65 million dollar level, but for Manoukian, the numbers are not important. "With the collapse of the old system and the birth of an independent Armenia, I felt it was essential to bring new ideas to the country. There was a pressing need to change the whole work ethics," Manoukian said in a recent interview at his London home. One of his early business ventures was the establishment of a Coca Cola factory—a first in the former Soviet Union—which was followed by a pharmaceutical complex, a plastics facility, a bank and a long string of smaller industrial facilities. The Coca Cola factory and its regional distribution network provides employment to more than 4,000 Armenians in the country. His companies are also among the highest tax payers, something which also helps the national treasury. "I have tremendous faith in the Armenian people and given the chance and opportunity, there is nothing which is impossible for them," he said. But despite his successful business ventures in Armenia, Manoukian insists that if financial profit was an objective, he would have been out of the Armenian scene a long time ago. "All of these Armenia businesses are losing money. But that is not important for me. The reward is to see these thousands of people putting in an honest day's work and supporting their families. I cannot just walk away from them ... they are too important for the welfare of Armenia," he said. Putting his "businessman's hat" aside, Manoukian becomes a different person, someone who cares about preserving the Armenian heritage, culture, and way of life. "We have a very rich and precious history which many in the world are not fully aware of," he said. In recent years, Manoukian has established a unique foundation, named after him and his wife Tamar, which has renovated the St. Yegishe Armenian Church in London, and supported and funded a long list of cultural and educational projects, including major Armenian exhibitions in England and the Vatican along with the publication of books on ancient Armenian religious art. But Manoukian's attention now is focused on education and training. In October of 2002, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts announced the creation of the Manoukian Public Service Program to educate a new generation of future leaders and thinkers. In the words of Joseph S. Nye, Dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the program "will bring talented young people who will lead Armenia in the future, and the current leaders who can reap immediate benefits for Armenia through their participation in the Executive Education Programs." "We are grateful for the generosity and vision of Mr. Vatche Manoukian and Dr. Armen Sarkissian whose commitment to education and to their homeland has led to this important new program," Nye said in a published statement. Under the terms of an agreement establishing a partnership between the Manoukian Foundation of London and the Kennedy School of Government, the school will offer two major fields of study titled "Manoukian Public Service Fellowship," and the "Manoukian Executive Education for Armenia." Both programs, which will be funded by the Manoukian Foundation, will be open to individuals of Armenian descent, and not necessarily citizens of the Armenian Republic. "Time is a very precious commodity and we need to do everything possible to widen the horizons of our new generation and future leaders. It is not enough just to invest money in Armenia or do humanitarian work. Education and training are essential elements in nation-building. They are the best investment for the future," Manoukian said. It is this approach which has encouraged Armen Sarkissian—a former Armenian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Prime Minister of Armenia—to press ahead with his own education-oriented projects. In the year 2000, Sarkissian established the Eurasia Research Program at the Judge Institute of Management of the University of Cambridge in England. In the past two years the program has already implemented a series of high-caliber projects and research in the political economy of the Eurasia region which covers not only Armenia, but most of the other republics of the former Soviet Union. "There is no such thing as enough education," Sarkissian said in an interview. In recent months, the Eurasia Program has started a pilot program for Armenia called the Armenia Research and Leadership Project which will gradually expand to Georgia and Azerbaijan. Currently the project involves 15 young professionals, who, in addition to conducting research in the Caucasus region, have been given the opportunity to visit Cambridge, England, and establish direct contacts and benefit from the University's vast resources. With education and research being its main objectives, the Eurasia program has also organized a number of conferences on such key issues like "Geopolitics and the Caspian region: Policies for the New Era," and the "Eurasian Media Forum" which was attended by 200 delegates from 40 countries. Despite his hands-on involvement, Dr. Sarkissian—who is also a co-founder of Eurasia House, a London think tank—is often invited to share his expertise and knowledge at international meetings, addressing issues like the "Problems of security and economic development in the Caucasus and Central Asia," "Energy challenges in the Black Sea, the Caspian and central Asia" and many others. "Education has become a passion for me and I am convinced that is the best way I can serve my country now. My target is to give the young professionals of Armenia the opportunity to network with the rest of the world and encourage them to stay in Armenia. "What we are doing now is investing in the young generation of Armenians. Let us not forget that we are a global nation. Maybe Armenia is a small country, but as a nation we are global," Sarkissian said. "My dream is to build bridges in the vast geographical space extending from Eastern Europe to Russia, to the CIS and China. Armenia has a lot to offer, and I am convinced that our future is bright."
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