UN chief says Syria conference needed as soon as possibleMay 17, 2013 - 13:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday, May 17, a proposed international conference on Syria should be held as soon as possible, but that no date had yet been agreed, according to Reuters. "We should not lose the momentum," Ban said of a U.S.-Russian proposal to bring the Syrian government and opposition representatives to a peace conference. "There is a high expectation that this meeting should be held as soon as possible," he said after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov agreed. "The sooner the better," Lavrov told the joint news conference with Ban, who was due to meet President Vladimir Putin later on Friday. Lavrov reiterated Russia's view that Iran should be invited to the conference, which could complicate its organization because of potential opposition from the West. 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 | Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. |