Thanks to Ara Abrahamian President of Nigeria promises to release Russian Sailors

By Ruzan Poghosian

AZG Armenian Daily #153, 30/08/2005

Diaspora

It is almost a month that the Nigerian authorities fail to complete
the case of legal transportation of 12 Russian sailors. Izvestia
newspaper informed Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, promised
to settle the issue of the Russian soldiers after the request of Ara
Abrahamian, Chairman of the Union of the Armenians of Russia. After
the long lasting trial, he will appeal to Russia with the suggestion
to exchange the sailors with the Nigerian prisoners in Russia.

Izvestia stated that, according to the official data, there are 28
Nigerians in the Russian prisons, imprisoned for trading drags. The
Russian sailors were arrested in 2003, accused of oil smuggling. But,
in fact, they can't be responsible for the actions of the owner of
"The African Pride" ship.  Nevertheless, the sailors were arrested
and kept in the Nigerian "Kiri Kiri" old-regime prison. Though, the
Lagos Federal Court satisfied the mediation of the Russian lawyer to
transfer the sailors on August 4, the local authorities still postpone
the legal arrangement of the verdict, which hinders the release of
the Russian citizens.

Russian Embassy to Nigeria informed that all the officials are on
vacations now and they can't accumulate all the required signatures
to make the document legal.

At the same time, President Obasanjo stated quite unexpectedly that
the Russian sailors will be released immediately after the trial. He
said that "he will either take political steps or make other efforts to
exchange the prisoners." Izvestia informed that the Obasanjo promised
that after the request of Ara Abrahamian.

"I already have a good experience in negotiating with the heads of
African states. Quite recently, I was engaged in the case of releasing
the 6 Armenian soldiers from the prisons of the Equatorial Guinea. The
deputies of RF State Duma and Foreign Ministry turned to me with
the request to help the sailors out. Being Good Will Ambassador
of UN, I applied to President of Nigeria, requesting to display
kindness to the sailors and release them, even if the court finds him
guilty. Mr. President said that he can't interfere with the affairs
of the judicial system. At the same time, he assured that after the
announcement of the verdict, in 20 days, the sailors will be either
granted amnesty or be exchanged with the Nigerian citizens in the
Russian prisons," Ara Abrahamian said in the interview to "Izvestia."

According to Izvestia, the 28 Nigerian citizens are kept in the
Mordova special prison for foreign citizens, where normal living
conditions are created for them. Some of the prisoners learn Russian
with pleasure to settle down in Russia in the future.