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ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 11, 2005 Saturday 9:40 AM Eastern Time
Moscow-based tycoon advocates for liberation of Armenian pilots
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
The liberation of Armenian pilots in Equatorial Guinea proves of
effective and fruitful cooperation between Armenia and the Armenian
community abroad, said Ara Abramyan, chairman of the World Armenian
Congress.
Abramyan, who played a key role in the liberation of Armenian pilots,
said on Saturday, "This is an example of effective and fruitful
cooperation between Armenia and the Armenian community abroad."
Earlier in the day, the pilots returned home.
The entrepreneur noted that Armenia and the Foreign Ministry worked
hard. He recalled that Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan "visited
Equatorial Guinea. Officials of the Foreign Ministry had been
visiting the country seven times."
Chief pilot Ashot Karapetyan said the crew felt the support provided
by the Armenian leadership. He thanked the people, the president, the
government, the Foreign Ministry and His Holiness Catholicos Garegin
II for their care and participation in the liberation of pilots.
He said the crew turned to be an instrument in the hands of different
forces in Equatorial Guinea and outside it. "There is no evidence
that we're guilty," the pilot said.
The six Armenians, chief pilot Ashot Karapetyan, first officer Samvel
Darbinyan, navigator Samvel Machkalyan, mechanics Razmik Khachatryan
and Suren Muradyan, and engineer Ashot Simonyan, are the aircrew of
an Armenian transport plane that was hired by a German airfreight
company over a year ago to ship cargo to the oil-rich nation. They
were arrested in March 2004 and sentenced to between 14 and 24 years'
imprisonment on November 26 along with a group of South African
nationals on charges of involvement in a reported plot to topple
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The pilots, backed by the Armenian government and their German
employer, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Amnesty International
condemned their trial as "grossly unfair."
TASS
June 11, 2005 Saturday 9:40 AM Eastern Time
Moscow-based tycoon advocates for liberation of Armenian pilots
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
The liberation of Armenian pilots in Equatorial Guinea proves of
effective and fruitful cooperation between Armenia and the Armenian
community abroad, said Ara Abramyan, chairman of the World Armenian
Congress.
Abramyan, who played a key role in the liberation of Armenian pilots,
said on Saturday, "This is an example of effective and fruitful
cooperation between Armenia and the Armenian community abroad."
Earlier in the day, the pilots returned home.
The entrepreneur noted that Armenia and the Foreign Ministry worked
hard. He recalled that Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan "visited
Equatorial Guinea. Officials of the Foreign Ministry had been
visiting the country seven times."
Chief pilot Ashot Karapetyan said the crew felt the support provided
by the Armenian leadership. He thanked the people, the president, the
government, the Foreign Ministry and His Holiness Catholicos Garegin
II for their care and participation in the liberation of pilots.
He said the crew turned to be an instrument in the hands of different
forces in Equatorial Guinea and outside it. "There is no evidence
that we're guilty," the pilot said.
The six Armenians, chief pilot Ashot Karapetyan, first officer Samvel
Darbinyan, navigator Samvel Machkalyan, mechanics Razmik Khachatryan
and Suren Muradyan, and engineer Ashot Simonyan, are the aircrew of
an Armenian transport plane that was hired by a German airfreight
company over a year ago to ship cargo to the oil-rich nation. They
were arrested in March 2004 and sentenced to between 14 and 24 years'
imprisonment on November 26 along with a group of South African
nationals on charges of involvement in a reported plot to topple
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The pilots, backed by the Armenian government and their German
employer, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Amnesty International
condemned their trial as "grossly unfair."