Russian Armenians Donate $260 Million to Armenia
YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—Responding to President Serge Sarkisian’s calls this week to Armenians around the world to begin investing in their homeland, Russia-based Armenian businessmen Samvel Karapeatian and Sergey Hambardzumian pledged in separate letters to donate a total of $260 million to the Republic of Armenia.
Karapeatian said he would allocate $250 million for various social and business projects in Armenia and invest another $50 million toward the “implementation of symbolic projects that will support Armenian statehood and serve its future generations.”
Meanwhile, Hambardzumian, who is the founder and chair of the board of directors of the “Mon Ar” company, pledged to donate $10 million to the development of Armenia’s Matenadaran manuscript complex.
The multi-million dollar pledges came in the form of two separate letters in response to the Sarkisian’s speech at the “Baze” All-Armenian Youth Jamboree. During the jamboree, Sarkisian had issued a call to action to Armenians, to “…be more active in initiating efforts directed towards building, improving, and flourishing the homeland.”
“With great attention and excitement I heard your address to our compatriots at the ‘Baze’ youth gathering,” Karapetian’s letter read. “Armenia is our homeland and despite the geographic distance, a part of our soul and heart is always in the homeland and lives with the pain and concerns of our country, our brothers and sisters, and lives with our soil and water.”
“We really have a lot to do and as a first step, I am ready to provide $10 million for the development of the Matenadaran complex and the construction of new additional building for it,” Hambardzumian’s letter read.
“Irrespective of anyone’s financial capabilities, our only wealth is our homeland and our only pride is our roots. And we all will be rich when we see our country flourishing,” he wrote.
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