Philippine speeds up repatriations from Syria September 4, 2012 - 09:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has flown to Syria to speed up the repatriation of more than 1,000 Filipino workers trying to escape the increasing violence there, The Associated Press reports. Some of the obstacles the government faced until recently was having to pay refunds to Syrian employers for unfinished contracts and fees levied by the Syrian government. Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Tuesday, Sept 4 that the Philippine government has now obtained waivers from employers. Del Rosario said in a statement Tuesday that President Benigno Aquino III wants to ensure Filipinos' safety and repatriate as many of them as possible. Del Rosario left for Syria late Monday. More than 2,100 were repatriated since last March. Hernandez said a rapid response team from the embassy in Damascus is helping extract Filipinos from conflict areas.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
