Japanese PM Abe to visit Russia next week April 30, 2016 - 17:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Kremlin has announced that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin, a step toward deepening relations overshadowed by a World War II territorial dispute, the Associated Press reports. Saturday, April 30's announcement said Putin would host Abe next Friday in Sochi, the Black Sea city where the 2014 Winter Olympics were held. The foreign ministers of both countries met two weeks ago and agreed to schedule a meeting of their leaders this year, but no date had been officially announced. Abe has been pushing to make progress in the dispute over Russian-held islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the southern Kurils in Russia, which has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities.  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 Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
