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PRESS RELEASE THE LARNACA GENOCIDE MONUMENT
The Armenian representative, Mr. Vartkes Mahdessian, with a press release dated 28 May 2008, thanks the Cyprus government and the Larnaca municipality for the Larnaca marina Armenian Genocide Monument.
With another Armenian press release dated 29 of May 2008, he mentions that his only involvement with this project was at a meeting on 13 July 2007 after an invitation by the Larnaca municipitality.
At the meeting when he asked about the cost, he was informed that the cost of the monument, which will be covered by the Cyprus Government, had risen to CY,£102,000 (plus Taxes), while the initial estimate was CY,£70,000.
He was also informed that the monument would be sculptured by a Greek sculpture from Greece, while the inscription would be in four languages (Armenian, Greek, Turkish and English) and prepared in Armenia. The content of the inscriptions were presented on paper to the, participants.
During this meeting he expressed strongly, his dissatisfaction that the community was not involved with the project, especially the absent of the Church. Which were recorded as such in the meetings minutes.
Although the cost of the project, the presence of Mr. Dikran Kalaydjian and the fact that the sculpturer was not an Armenian were points that he did not agree, in respect towards, his, predecessors and the people who had taken this decisions in the past, he did not mention his concers.
In the press release, Mr. Mahdessian mentions his utter dislike to the fact that some people had tried to "personalize" such a "Holy & historical" monument, such as the direct request of the "Kayadjian Foundation" to name the surrounding area of the monument "Armenia square" without following the official protocol for such requests and the willingness to cover a gap of 16,000 euros with the provision of adding inscriptions to the monument without the Communities consent.
The press release in Armenian (pdf)
The press release in, Greek (pdf)