Thursday, August 6 2020 12:31

ArmInfo. Lebanon is one of the  friendly states to Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated  this on August 6 at a meeting of the RA government.

According to him, our two countries are connected with numerous  historical and cultural ties.  Beirut was the capital of the Armenian  Diaspora of the 20th century.

For decades, Beirut has been at the epicenter of the religious,  political and cultural life of the local Diaspora. It still maintains  its unique importance and vital role as a center for representation  of the Armenians in the Middle East. "In this difficult period, we  cannot remain indifferent toward the needs of the brotherly people of  Lebanon and the Armenian community of Beirut. Armenia has already  declared its readiness to provide the necessary assistance to  overcome the consequences of the tragedy. We will assist the Lebanese  government and the Armenian community," the head of the Armenian  government said.

He noted that the RA government, through the country's Foreign  Ministry and the office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora  Affairs, is in constant contact with the Lebanese government and the  local Armenian community. At present, Nikol Pashinyan continued, the  amount of this aid is being determined, which will become targeted.  At the same time, the Prime Minister noted, all those benefactors who  wish to take part in the restoration of Beirut can transfer funds to  a special account in the RA Central Bank, opened by the Hayastan  All-Armenian Fund. "Armenia is next to our brothers and sisters in  Beirut, and will make every effort to provide assistance and get  Lebanon out of this difficult situation," the head of the Armenian  government stressed.

To note, according to the Congregation of the Catholicosate of the  Great House of Cilicia, Vicar of the Kuwait Armenian Diocese,  Archimandrite Petros Manvelyan, as a result of the explosion in  Beirut, 11 Armenians were killed, several hundred representatives of  the Armenian community were injured or gone missing.

According to the Lebanese authorities, the explosion in the port of  Beirut on August 4 in the evening was caused by the detonation of 2.7  thousand tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse, which had  been confiscated by customs services in 2015. Mourning has been  declared in the country. In the city, recognized as a disaster zone,  a state of emergency was introduced for two weeks. According to the  latest data, the number of victims of the explosion exceeded 150  people, more than 4 thousand were injured, dozens of people were  missing.