RA NSS refutes Iranian media reports about “American spy”January 7, 2011 - 15:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Commenting on media reports about the illegal crossing of the Armenian-Iranian border by U.S. citizen Hal Talaian, Spokesperson for the RA National Security Service (NSS) Artsvin Baghramyan said that a person under such name has neither entered, nor, consequently, left Armenia. Iranian authorities have arrested a 55-year-old American woman - reportedly with a microphone hidden in her teeth - on suspicion of spying. The state-owned newspaper IRAN said the woman, identified in Farsi as Hal Talaian, had "spying equipment or a microphone" concealed in her teeth when customs authorities detained her in the border town of Nordouz, 370 miles northwest of the capital, Tehran. The report said she arrived in Iran from neighboring Armenia without a visa. The paper did not say when she was detained. But Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying the woman was taken into custody "about one week ago." Fars also said she told Iranian border guards that her life would be in danger if they sent her back to Armenia. Meanwhile, according to AP, Iranian state television said that authorities did not arrest an American woman who tried to enter the country from Armenia, casting doubt on earlier media reports. The state-run Arabic-language Al Alam TV quoted an informed source denying reports of her arrest and saying the woman was turned around at the border crossing because she did not have a visa. The report did not identify the source. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | 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. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. |