ARMENIA, UAE TO SIGN PACT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING
2009/ 05/19 | 13:08
court society
Armenia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to sign an agreement
to combat human trafficking soon, Armenian embassy officials are
reported to have said on Monday according to Khaleej Times Online.
Armenian Ambassador to the UAE, Vahagn Melikian said that the Armenian
government is cooperating with the UAE authorities to stop human
trafficking.
The countries recently cooperated to help bust a human trafficking
gang when hundreds of women were sent to the UAE and forced to work
as prostitutes. The gang’s leader and her two sisters were sentenced
by a court in the Armenian capital Yerevan last month.
"Hetq" extensively covered the trial in Yerevan of the convicted
ringleaders. (See: "Madame Anoush", Infamous Pimp of Dubai Sentenced
to 13 Years)
"We are in the process to finalise it soon. After this agreement we
will be able to deal with the matter more efficiently," said Mher
Mkrtumyan, deputy head of the Armenian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, adding
that, "Our cooperation is not limited to human trafficking. We signed
a judicial agreement with the UAE government in 2002 and began to
cooperate in the judicial field. We have also signed an extradition
treaty with the UAE."
There are 5,000 Armenians in the UAE of which around 500 are in Abu
Dhabi and the rest are in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.