/ArmeniaNow.com/ Armenians around the world have made a total pledge of nearly $16 million for a pan-Armenian charity as part of a 12-hour Thanksgiving Day telethon in Los Angeles, USA.

The telethon that ended 8.00 am Friday Yerevan time was the twelfth such fundraiser in support of projects implemented in Armenia and Karabakh by the all-Armenian fund Hayastan.

In a climate of division at home and in Diaspora over the Armenia-Turkey foreign policy protocols, this year’s pledge drive was widely seen as a referendum on whether disagreement would influence charity. By comparison to other years (and against the ongoing struggle of economic crisis) this year’s event – in support of aid for Shushi, in Nagorno-Karabakh – showed no signs of suffering political fallout.

For sure, the $16 million was far short of last year’s record-pledge of $35 million. But $15 million of the 2008 pledge came from a single source, Russia’s Samvel Karapetyan (who this year gave $1 million). More accurate comparison may be found in the (pre-crisis/pre-protocol) 2007 fund, when about $15.3 million was pledged. (In 2006, $13.7 million was pledged.)

The nonstop 12-hour fundraiser event was hosted by popular Armenian TV anchormen and showmen from both Armenia and the United States. In-between addresses of welcome and encouragement from different representatives of the campaign, including Karabakh state officials and clergy, the organizers presented reports about the Fund’s current activities and planned projects as well as dancing and singing shows, including a video clip by sisters Inga and Anush Arshakyans performing the song We Are Our Mountains devoted to Telethon 2009.

Besides online, call-in and postal donations, citizens of Armenia who use VivaCell MTS mobile phone connection this year also were able to send text messages and donate 200, 600 and 1,000 drams (50 cents, $1.50 and $2.50 respectively). According to the Fund’s data, 13,000 people have made their contributions to the fundraiser through HayPost offices.

At the start of the telethon, popular actor and showman Hrant Tokhatyan called on all Armenians to put aside their political differences and focus on the rehabilitation of Shushi.

The organizers thus echoed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s appeal to potential donors made more than a month ago at a charity dinner with 80 Armenian businessmen in Moscow, Russia. Sargsyan then said: “We should prove to all that there is no split in the Homeland-Diaspora relations. With this fundraising we should prove to all that Artsakh [Karabakh] is ours and will always be ours.” (Sargsyan apparently sought to reach out to the parts of the Armenian Diaspora and citizens at home who protested his policy of rapprochement with Turkey and, in particular, were against the signing of the protocols establishing diplomatic ties and opening the border between Armenia and its historical foe.)

Hours before the start of the telethon, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan also urged his Cabinet members to take an active part in pledging donations. At a government session Thursday Premier Sargsyan said that “the restoration of Shushi is a matter of national dignity.”

“All officials who are here should encourage their subordinates and surroundings by their own example [to pledge money]. You should agree that it is our duty to participate in the fundraising. I want you to convey this sentiment also to your staffs,” said the premier.

Some of the names of major Armenian benefactors (from different countries) making pledges were announced during the live show. Interestingly, the name of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri making a pledge of $100,000 in donation was also announced.

Russia-based businessman Ara Abrahamyan has pledged $150,000, the Bamo construction company owners (Muradyan brothers) have pledged $600,000. (Contacted by ArmeniaNow, the pan-Armenian fund’s office in Yerevan would not be drawn into confirming, for various reasons, that one individual or another in Armenia or a Diaspora community had or had not made a pledge of donation, but rather said it would publish the whole list of donors once it became available in its complete form. The Hayastan Fund’s website is www.himnadram.org).

One of the key fundraising events preceding the annual Telethon was the fundraising gala in Moscow where Russian Armenian businessmen pledged $5.2 million, which was reflected in the final results of this year’s all Armenian fundraiser.

Another important fundraising event on the eve of the Telethon was the annual pan European phoneathon, which raised $1.8 million in pledges.

This year’s fundraising effort was unprecedented in terms of the number of people who participated and decided to have their input in tackling the challenge of rebuilding Shushi. The participation of residents of Armenia was especially impressive with more than 20,000 people making their donations in the period leading to the annual Telethon.

The main sponsor of Telethon 2009 was VivaCell-MTS. Other sponsors were: ACBA Credit Agricole Bank, Ameria Bank, Ardshininvestbank and Haypost.

The fundraising activities in Armenia and Artsakh continue. The results of this year’s fundraising effort will be finalized at the end of the year when the Fund will sum up all the donations and publish the names of the benefactors.