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FM Flies to Equatorial Guinea to Seek Release of Armenian Pilots

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  • FM Flies to Equatorial Guinea to Seek Release of Armenian Pilots

    VARTAN OSKANIAN FLIES TO EQUATORIAL GUINEA TO SEEK RELEASE OF ARMENIAN
    PILOTS


    YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
    Oskanian few last Saturday to Equatorial Guinea in an effort to
    persuade the government of the West African country that six Armenian
    pilots jailed by its court for lengthy prison term on charges of
    involvement in a coup to topple its president are innocent.

    A spokesman for the ministry, Hamlet Gasparian, said the minister
    will have a series of meetings with Equatorial Guinea officials to
    press for the pilots' release.

    The Armenian pilots were flying an Armenian transport plane that
    was hired by a German airfreight company a year ago to ship cargo to
    Equatorial Guinea. They were arrested in last March and sentenced to
    between 14 and 24 years' imprisonment on November 26 on charges of
    involvement in a plot to topple Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president
    of the that country.

    The pilots were convicted along with five South Africans accused of
    being an advance party of foreign mercenaries arrested in Zimbabwe
    almost a year ago.

    All Armenian pilots pleaded not guilty to the accusations
    throughout their trial which was described by Amnesty International, a
    leading global human rights group, as "grossly unfair."

    Armenian President Robert Kocharian wrote to Obiang last year,
    suggesting that the two countries sign an extradition agreement that
    allow the repatriation of the Armenians.

    Also Armenian ambassador to Egypt, Sergey Manaserian and a senior
    diplomat from Armenian foreign ministry traveled twice to Malabo, the
    capital of Equatorial Guinea to learn the conditions in which
    Armenians are being keptand attend the trial.
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