Armenian Red Cross Ready to Render Assistance to Refugees from Leban

ARMENIAN RED CROSS READY TO RENDER ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES FROM LEBANON

AZG Armenian Daily #143, 01/08/2006

Regional

At present, already 600 people were forced to leave
Lebanon and Israel for Armenia. 51 of them has turned
to RA Migration Agency to receive the status of
temporary residents. But none of them has appealed to
the Armenian office of the Red Cross yet, though the
organization is ready to render any kind of assistance
to them. "if they appeal to us, we can render them
financial, legal, psychological, consultative aid, as
well as food," Edmon Azarian, head of Disaster
Management Department of the Armenian Red Cross
Office, said. The office has set the list of monthly
rendered food, including certain amount of oil, rice,
sugar and other products, as well as financial aid
envisaged for a year depending on the social status of
the citizens that turned for help.

The Armenian Red Cross is collaborating with the UNHCR
and is being financed by that. "If the number of the
refugees grows, after evaluating their needs, we will
be able to render aid to as many people as required,"
Azarian said. Certainly, the refugees do not turn to
the Armenian Red Cross, as they have no idea about the
existence of such a source. Besides, as a result of
the tense situation in the region, it is expected that
more Armenians will arrive in Armenia from Georgia.

By Karine Danielian