Anna Hakobyan Does Not Refuse to Support April War Soldier Hayk Sekhilyan

In response to the article published by the newspaper "168 Hours" on July 2, which claimed that "Anna Hakobyan has refused to help the wounded soldier from the April War," we find it necessary to state the following.

The "My Step" foundation receives dozens of requests and calls every day regarding social and health issues. While social requests are considered within the framework of poverty alleviation programs or directed to partner organizations, there is a precise approach to health-related requests that has been clarified during months of activity and has been publicly announced by the chairperson of the foundation's Board of Trustees, Anna Hakobyan, at least twice. In press conferences held this February and on May 27, she requested that individuals with personal health issues refrain from addressing the "My Step" foundation. "I apologize and sincerely apologize again that we are unable to respond to these individual requests because they comprise a very large number, requiring substantial resources; and if we engage with that, we cannot do anything else. When our resources are substantial enough so that we have additional budgets beyond our primary obligations, we will also begin to help people in that way," Anna Hakobyan stated.

Responses are given to citizens with health issues within this framework. For additional clarity, we note that the "My Step" foundation is currently not engaged with health-related issues, although the staff express regrets for every received request. The foundation has taken on commitments that already require significant resources, one of which is supporting the Homeland Defender’s Rehabilitation Center, which will account for over 194,800,000 AMD in 2019. Major commitments also include support for the state classical music collectives in Armenia, which enables their existence and development; in this area, the foundation allocates more than 60 million AMD monthly. In regard to the concert dedicated to Charles Aznavour's 95th anniversary, we find it necessary to clarify that the amount allocated by the "My Step" foundation for organizing the concert was not 18 million AMD as stated in the article, but approximately 8.5 million AMD. This amount was received as a targeted donation, meaning it could only be spent for the purpose for which the donor had transferred it to the foundation.

No request on behalf of Hayk Sekhilyan has been received at the foundation, neither via email nor through Facebook. Among numerous phone calls, the foundation's staff did not identify his call, and it is possible that at the time of the call, they did not understand whom they were speaking with and provided the standard response regarding health-related requests. However, on June 14 of this year, Hayk Sekhilyan wrote to Anna Hakobyan’s official Facebook page, to which we responded by asking him to provide a phone number so we could discuss the matter in detail. In a phone conversation, Hayk Sekhilyan shared his health status and treatment possibilities with Anna Hakobyan's press secretary. As a result, an agreement was reached that Hayk Sekhilyan would send his medical documents so that his treatment could be organized. He was informed that we would address his issue and maintain contact once we find benefactors or organizations to help ensure that costly surgery.

We have already established connections with several organizations and medical centers, presented Sekhilyan's health condition, and sought to find any possible options for support. We are still continuing our efforts to assist Hayk Sekhilyan.

Over the past year, Anna Hakobyan has received several thousand letters and calls from citizens, which are responded to by Anna Hakobyan’s assistant. The assistant is also responsible for organizing Anna Hakobyan's daily meetings and foreign visits; she addresses citizens' issues concurrently with this work. Most of the letters receive support or are redirected through our mediation to some organization or state agency. During this period, the stories of citizens who have approached Anna Hakobyan and received assistance exceed one hundred; it should be noted that none of these cases have been publicly discussed or covered at Anna Hakobyan's request. However, in light of the public attention on this issue, to put an end to unfounded accusations, we present some of the accounts of citizens who have received medical assistance solely through our mediation over the past month.

For instance, for the acquisition of vital medication to save the life of 19-year-old Levon Davtyan, a resident of Tavush province receiving treatment at St. Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, 4 million AMD was provided by benefactors upon Anna Hakobyan's personal request. Levon’s life is no longer in danger. Retiree Karine Hovhannisyan from Artik received medical examination at St. Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center and is currently receiving appropriate treatment at the Institute of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine. Seven-year-old Norayr Manukyan, who has vision problems, underwent medical examination in Saint Petersburg through Anna Hakobyan's mediation. We provided plane tickets for the 24-year-old daughter of Vrej Kyariunts, suffering from Hepatitis C, for the transplant in India. Another case that has come to public attention but has not been reported is that of sambo athlete Kolya Karapetyan. Through mediation with Anna Hakobyan, he has been receiving free treatment for several months at various medical centers. This list could be extended considerably. We will soon present a comprehensive report and provide detailed information on the support received by citizens who have approached Anna Hakobyan in addition to the work done by the "My Step" and "City of Smiles" foundations.