YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Responding President Serzh Sarkisian’s calls on Tuesday urging 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 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 to the "implementation of symbolic projects that will support Armenian statehood and serve its future generations."
Meanwhile, Hambardzumian, who is the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the "Mon Ar" company, pledged on Thursday to donate $10 million to the development of Armenia’s Matenadaran man’script complex.
The multi-million dollar pledges came in the form of two separate letters to on Wednesday and Thursday in response to the President’s speech at the "Baze" All Armenian Youth Jamboree. During the jamboree, Sarkisian had issued a call to action for Armenia’s to become more active in the development of the republic.
"[Armenia’s] must be more active and initiating in the efforts directed towards building, improving and flourishing the homeland," he said.
"With great attention and excitement I heard your address to our compatriots at the "Baze" youth gathering," Karapetian’s letter said. "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, 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," Hmbardzumian’s letter said.
"Irrespective of anyone’s financial capabilities our only wealth is our homeland and our only pride–our roots, and we all will be rich when we see our country flourishing," he said.