Turkey candidate for EU leadership, minister saysMay 23, 2013 - 16:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey is not simply a candidate for European Union membership, but is a candidate for the union’s leadership, EU Minister Egemen Bağış said during his opening speech at the Town Twinning Workshop, a project aiming for international collaborations on local levels by partnering European and Turkish districts. According to Hurriyet Daily News, Bağış said Istanbul’s unique status as a “peaceful coexistence of all cultures and religions” makes it a vital player in the union membership process. Bağış highlighted the ongoing “multicultural existence of the city”, with “mosques and churches and synagogues” standing side by side, as well as its current “rise to stardom” by becoming “the European capital for sports and culture simultaneously in the same year.” 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 | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |