Former Melkonian principal dies

Former Melkonian principal Sossie Bedikian has died at the age of 72.

Bedikian was born at the Magaravank Armenian Monastery, which has been under Turkish occupation since 1974. She was a distinguished teacher and historian and was active in community and Diaspora affairs for four decades.

She served as principal of the Melkonian in Nicosia for 12 years, after which she devoted her time to teaching Armenian history and world history until June 2001.

Bedikian was also a founding member of the Editorial Committee of the Armenian Paros community newspaper, which is published in Greek and Armenian.

Her funeral will take place at the Sourp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Church in Nicosia on Saturday.

Donations in lieu of floral tributes should be made to the Paros community newspaper.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.