President of the Republic of Cyprus Inaugurates AGBU Armenian Cultural Centre

On May 5, 2011, His Excellency Demetris Christofias, President of the Republic of Cyprus, inaugurated the AGBU Armenian Cultural Centre in Larnaca, which is a new home for Armenian culture, ethnology and art. The Centre will present and promote the history and culture of the Armenian nation in general and the Armenian community of Cyprus in particular, with the aim of deepening the understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage that bonds all Armenians. It will disseminate information with regard to the positive contributions of the Armenian community to the economic, social and cultural development of Cyprus. It will also organize conferences, seminars, symposia, and workshops; present artistic and musical performances; and house a library.

In addition to the President, the gathering of over 200 participants included the current mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Moyseos, along with two previous mayors, Counselors of the Larnaca municipality, several members of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, and representatives of all the political parties represented in the House, as well as Armenian and Greek Cypriots from Larnaca, Limassol, and Nicosia. Also attending the ceremony on behalf of the president of the AGBU, Berge Setrakian, and the AGBU leadership, was Damascus-based Central Board Member Vasken Yacoubian, who arrived for the occasion.

In his opening statement, Roupen Kalaydjian of the AGBU Larnaca Chapter thanked the President not only for his generous agreement to personally preside over the opening of the new AGBU Centre, but also for his decades-long support of the Armenian community of Cyprus, culminating in his unveiling of the Armenian Genocide Memorial on Larnaca's seafront three years earlier. After Kalaydjian's statement, the Archbishop of the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, His Eminence Varoujan Hergelian, conducted an official blessing of the new building.

Vasken Yacoubian conveyed his gratitude to President Christofias for his agreement to personally open the AGBU Armenian Cultural Centre. He also stressed the excellent relations that have always existed between the AGBU and the government of the Republic of Cyprus. Furthermore, he stated that the Centre in Larnaca aimed not only to preserve and promote Armenian culture but also to highlight the positive role that Armenians have played in the island's development.

The chairman of AGBU Larnaca, Stephanos Kamakian, thanked all the parties involved in the project, including the AGBU Central Board, the Kalaydjian Foundation, the AGBU Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia Chapters, and several prominent Armenian-Cypriot families, as well as benefactors from abroad, who with their generous sponsorship and guidance, as well as financial support, had made the realization of the project possible.

Dikran Kalaydjian, the chairman of the Kalaydjian Foundation and vice-chairman of AGBU Larnaca, presented President Christofias with a commemorative gift -- a book about the history and culture of the ancient Armenian territory of Karabakh.

Addressing the large gathering, the Cypriot President stated that the AGBU had honored him "particularly with its invitation to celebrate the opening of the Armenian Cultural Centre." He added that the Centre, beyond its cultural character, proved that Armenians, as an integral part of the Cypriot people, contributed positively and substantially to the broader economic, social and cultural development of the island. Referring to the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Cypriot peoples and their common struggle for peace and justice, as well as the excellent relations between the republics of Armenia and Cyprus, the President recalled the importance of Larnaca as the first port of call for the thousands of Armenian refugees fleeing the Genocide of 1915-1923.

He also thanked the Armenian community for its support to the government in its efforts to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus Question, and paid tribute to and expressed his admiration for the philanthropic work done by the AGBU for over a century. In his closing remarks, the President announced that as an acknowledgement of the importance of the creation and operation of the Centre, the Government had decided to donate the sum of €15,000 (about 21,100 USD), as a further token of support.

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling by the President of a plaque and the cutting of the ribbon, followed by a reception and media interviews.