Dear Ambassador Yovanovitch,

We are American citizens living/working in Armenia. We are writing you with a plea to help improve safety standards during entry to sporting/concert events in Armenia. The concept and practice of crowd control with proper queue lines and "first come first serve" does not exist in Armenia. As a result, the process of entering an event in Armenia endangers the well being of all amongst the chaos of people pushing and struggling for their right to enter.

This problem was specifically evident during the last football/soccer match vs Russia on March 26, 20011. Outside the stadium before the match there was a lack of any queue lines and not enough open gates or enough ticket checkers. This resulted in a large crowd build up and long waits with no room for movement. Some portions of that night's entry can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejr7T9M40s8&feature=channel_video_title

Eventually near the start of the match people became anxious and started shoving each other trying to enter. People had to struggle to remain on their feet with the danger of falling down and being trampled upon. The risk of injury in this type of situation is particularly dangerous for the elderly, women and children. Hence, many have stopped attending sporting and concert events in Armenia.

It is our impression that the situation is aggravated by poor policing and crowd control. Proper policing, as it is found in Western countries, could solve the problem. We would like you to help us put an end to this problem by bringing up the issue with the authorities in Armenia and to offer them proper training for crowd control systems that will ensure our safety during events. Correcting this problem will not only help prevent future fatalities but also make attending events in Armenia more efficient and enjoyable for US citizens and all others in Armenia.

Thank you for your attention,

Concerned US citizens