Azad-Hye,
He is married to Louise Kaprielian and they have two daughters and a son. He has been active in the Armenian community for three decades.
He is also active in tennis. He is the over 35 and over 45 champion of
Below is an interview with Simon Aynedjian specially for the readers of our webiste:
Could you tell us a few words about the Armenian community in
The Armenian community in
In the 1940s and 50s we witnessed the repatriation of hundreds of Armenians from
The Lebanese Civil War (1975-1991) and the Islamic Revolution in
The latest wave comes from
In numeric terms the number of Armenians in
How about the political structures of the community?
The present political structure of the community could be characterized by the presence of two factions: Dashnaktsoutiun (ARS, AYMA/HMEM, Hamazkayin, AYF, ANC) and AGBU “affiliated” organisations (Ramgavars, Henchaks, Communists) pretty much in the same structure as all Armenian diaspora communities globally.
Recent elections (October 2005) for the post of the community Representative in the House of Representatives of Cyprus resulted in the election of Dr. Vahakn Atamyan (AGBU “affiliated”) with a margin of 52% while Dr. Antranig Ashdjian (Dashnaktsoutiun) received 44 % and Parsegh Zartarian (independent) 4%.
And the life of Armenians in
The Armenian community of
The community has been active for the last three decades in supporting the Armenian Cause in all possible ways, especially propagating awareness about the Genocide in Cypriot political and media circles.
The community has sent large amounts of humanitarian and other assistance to Artsakh. In this effort which continues presently through the programs of the Armenian Relief Society Sossee Cyprus Chapter, the community always has the moral and financial support of Greek Cypriots. Currently, through a program administered by The Armenian Relief Society (HOM), some 400 orphans in
Relations between
A major setback in the life of our community has been the closure of Melkonian Education Istitute, and I believe that the full extent of the damage will surface in years to come. In the mean time I feel it is important that all parties – the AGBU and local administrators – involved in the scandal of the closure of the school account for their role in it.
Thousands of Armenians worldwide, especially those who use the Internet and electronic media, have been receiving Gibrahayer e-magazine. Could you give us an idea about this extremely popular project?
Gibrahayer is seven years old. It started with a list of 50 subscribers and has reached 5,000 subscribers globally (only 15% of the subscribers are from
We feel we are an integral part of
The role of Gibrahayer therefore is to form a kind of bridge. You will be amazed – as you already know yourself as a subscriber of our e-magazine – by the articles received, letters as well as the discussions that have been taking place lately by our readers. A number of our subscribers have re-discovered each other through the pages of Gibrahayer.
Old friends, past students of the Melkonian Educational Institute, emigrants, people who have left
Where does the funding of Gibrahayer e-magazine come from?
The subscription of the e-magazine is free and will remain as such. It is neither funded by any organization nor does it accept financial assistance from anyone. We sometimes urge readers to donate sums for noble causes, our latest appeal being the assistance to a young Armenian tennis star, 15 year old Zarouhi Haroutyunyan from
Is there any political line adopted by Gibrahayer e-magazine?
Any opinion or any event, even the simplest of statements, contains a degree of political attributes. Gibrahayer therefore has its political direction and a unique way that it views society and politics. This is visible in the way it presents news and the choice of articles and editorials.
Personally I have been involved in Dashnaktsoutiun and its affiliated organizations. That does not mean that I always adopt the “party line” as it comes.
We need to keep under check our organisations and parties and this is done through democratic institutions and procedures as well as transparency. In the case of party members and people involved in community affairs it is achieved through increased participation in our community structures and decision making processes.
I would like to think that Gibrahayer is also a tool that besides the information gateway it provides to its readers, it also invites them to think and act on the way we live our life in our communities and the way we contribute to our homelands.