Syria hosts rallies ahead of parliamentary electionsMay 7, 2012 - 02:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ahead of Syria’s first multiparty parliamentary elections to be held on Monday, May 7 people across the country have been rallying in support of national unity and President Assad’s reform program. At a rally held in Damascus, youth activists urged the nation to support the armed forces in their war on terrorism. Some 2 thousand tribal leaders assembled in Homs said that national unity and peaceful reconstruction must come before tribal or political rivalries. In the meantime, there have been reports of overnight terror attacks in three Syrian cities including Damascus. Three bomb blasts in the Syrian capital are known to have left two people dead and several injured, ITAR-TASS reported. 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 | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |