The minutes of the AGBU’s central board meetings show that Louise Manoogian Simone and her colleagues had grasped the importance of making a still stronger commitment to Armenia in these exceptional circumstances, and of extending the country’s government material support. Alongside its own humanitarian projects, which we shall discuss in greater detail in a moment, the AGBU also firmly backed, in spring 1992, Ter Petrosian’s decision to establish an Armenian National Fund (Hayasdan himnatram). The AGBU also joined the United Ar¬menian Fund, a cooperative endeavor put in place by several big Armenian-American humanitarian organizations and the Lincy Foundation. Mention must also be made of the AGBU’s collaboration in setting up and supervising, hand-in-hand with the Armenian Church and the local Red Cross, distribution of the food aid that the United States government granted Armenia in winter 1991-1992. Examination of the list of the “individuals responsible” for the distribution of this American aid reveals that, in every Armenian district, between five and ten official AGBU representatives were delegated to see to it that operations proceeded smoothly. Notwithstanding its ambition to concentrate on sustainable development programs, the Union had to respond to the emergency conditions prevailing from 1992 to 1994. Most of the correspondence between the permanent representation in Yerevan and the New York head office mentions the constant requests from international organizations ... Read all
Armenia and the Presidency of Louise Manoogian Simone