Gulf Arab nations agree to establish joint military commandDecember 11, 2013 - 17:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Six Gulf Arab nations wrapped up a summit meeting in Kuwait by agreeing to establish a joint military command, paving the way for tighter security coordination as their regional rival Iran pursues outreach efforts, the Associated Press reports. The official Kuwait News Agency said Wednesday, Dec 11, that the military partnership was one of several initiatives agreed by the Gulf Cooperation Council member states. It gave no details on when the command would be formed, how it would be structured or the extent of its mandate. Saudi Arabia and other Western-allied Gulf states are wary of Iran's influence in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week visited four of the six Gulf nations in an effort to improve ties. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Related links: 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 | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |