Wednesday, 26 July 2006
On the instructions of RA Prime Minister, a consultative meeting on the possibility of providing humanitarian assistance from Armenia to the hostilities-hit Lebanon was held at the Office of Government. The meeting was chaired by RA Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan. In attendance were deputy ministers of finance and economy, foreign affairs, public health care, transport and communication, the director of the General Department of Civil Aviation by the Government, the heads of the Armenian Rescue Service, Migration Agency and the Agency of State Reserves of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, as well as concerned officials of from the Government Staff.
In effort to meet the request for the help addressed by Lebanon to the United Nations and the States of the world, meeting participants have discussed the possibility of rendering eventual emergency assistance, as well as transportation and other organizational matters. It was noted that the Lebanese authorities had asked to send aid in the form of foodstuffs, medicines, equipment and dwelling supplies, fire-prevention accessories, as well as financial donations.
Account taken of the existing potentialities, it was decided to provide drugs, equipment and tents to the people of Lebanon in humanitarian crisis. As agreed with the Prime Minister of Armenia, RA Ministry of Finance and Economy was directed to prepare a draft government decree in order to submit it to tomorrow's government session for approval. It was noted that following decision approval it would be possible to deliver the assistance by air - using a charter flight going to Aleppo - tomorrow later in the evening.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Head of Migration Agency of the Ministry of Territorial Administration briefed those present on the progress in transporting to Armenia our compatriots and foreign citizens from Lebanon. It was noted that over 550 Armenians from Lebanon and 54 others from Israel had joined Armenia to date. 120 persons are expected to arrive aboard a charter flight tomorrow. Most of them are citizens of Armenia. However, there are several foreign nationals among them, of which 51 persons have already approached the Migration Agency with a request for granting a status of temporarily protected persons. Requests to that effect have been lodged by 51 individuals
