Armenian government to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
26 Jul 06

On an instruction from Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan,
the Armenian government has discussed the possibility of rendering
humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The meeting made a decision to help the
Lebanese people with medicines, tents and equipment.

After the government’s decision, it will be possible to send
humanitarian aid by a Yerevan-Aleppo charter plane tomorrow. The work
that is being carried out to move ethnic Armenians to Armenia was
also discussed at the meeting chaired by Minister for Territorial
Administration Ovik Abramyan.

So far, about 550 ethnic Armenians have arrived in Yerevan from
Lebanon and 54 from Israel. It is expected that another 120 people
will arrive in Armenia tomorrow. Most of them are Armenian citizens.
Foreign citizens are also arriving in Armenia. Fifty-one foreign
citizens have already applied to the migration agency for temporary
asylum. Forty-nine of them are from Lebanon and two from Israel.

Taking into account the increase in the number of people arriving
in Armenia from the Middle East, as well as the fact that not all
of them have relatives in Armenia, the meeting decided to discuss
possible assistance to them as well.