Britain pledges £500,000 to Syrian oppositionMarch 30, 2012 - 15:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain will provide a further £500,000 to support Syria's political opposition in the face of president Bashar Assad's regime, the Foreign Secretary said, according to Belfast Telegraph. William Hague announced the extra funding during his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet. Mr Hague said the money would help "hard-pressed" opposition groups to document the regime's violations. In his speech, he set out that he has "agreed to provide a further half a million pounds of British support to Syria's political opposition". "It includes agreement in principle for practical non-lethal support to them inside Syria," Mr Hague said. "It will help hard-pressed opposition groups and brave civil society organisations inside and outside the country to document the regime's violations and gain the skills and resources they need to help build a democratic future for Syria." The Government has, over the last eight months, given £450,000 of practical support to the Syrian opposition, including media skills training to internal activists and advice to Syrian human rights defenders. The support is intended to aid Syria's political opposition groups to develop themselves as a credible alternative to Assad's regime and develop the necessary capability to realise an orderly transition to a more democratic Syria. Britain sent an expert mission to the region last month to help document the atrocities that have taken place. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Pashinyan: Armenia’s desired goal is “on the horizon” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is moving forward “without interruption”. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. |