Assistance for New Republics
The high cost of transporting relief supplies to the former Soviet republics is a major problem. The geographic location of some of these land-locked republics makes this task even more daunting. Armenia, for example, is in a particularly difficult situation. Besides not having access to the sea, it is surrounded by Georgia (undergoing internal turmoil), Iran (separated by a river with no bridge), Turkey (historically hostile) and Azerbaijan (has blockaded all rail and road transport to Armenia).
Air transport remains the only viable, albeit expensive, option. The United Armenian Fund, a coalition of six major Armenian-American charitable groups, has organized 29 airlifts in the past two years, taking to Armenia over $19 million of relief supplies to the 500,000 survivors of the 1988 earthquake and the 300,000 deportees from Azerbaijan.
Even though each airlift costs over $110,00, it’s the only sure way of getting desperately needed medicine and technical equipment there.
If the U.S. government is not willing to provide free transportation, maybe it can waive taxes on jet fuel used in humanitarian airlifts, thereby lowering the high cost of helping!
HARUT SASSOUNIAN
Executive Director
United Armenian Fund, Glendale
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