Russian, Chinese PMs agree on mutual flood assistanceAugust 23, 2013 - 09:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian and Chinese prime ministers Dmitry Medvedev and Li Keqiang have agreed on mutual assistance in dealing with floods that have hit both countries, the Russian government has reported, according to RIA Novosti. In a phone conversation between Medvedev and Keqiang on Thursday, August 22 the Russian premier expressed condolences to his Chinese counterpart over the death toll from floods in China that has reportedly exceeded 100. In Russia, some 30,000 people have been affected by floods in three regions in the country’s Far East - the Amur Region, the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region - after heavy rains that caused the Amur River to burst its banks. About 20,000 people have been evacuated. No casualties have been reported. Over 40,000 people in the Russian Far East are currently involved in relief and rescue operations, including 10,000 from the Emergencies Ministry and over 4,000 military servicemen, according to Vladimir Stepanov, the head of the Emergencies Ministry’s crisis situation management center. 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 | Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. 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. |