Obama-Putin meeting not on G20 summit agenda: U.S. officialAugust 31, 2013 - 12:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A bilateral meeting between presidents of Russia and the United States is not on the agenda of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg due in early September, a senior U.S. administration official said on Friday, August 30, according to RIA Novosti. “At this time there is no bilateral meeting or pull-aside expected between the presidents, although…the [U.S.] president and President Putin are going to have many opportunities to engage during the course of the G20 session” the official said. Barack Obama cancelled his scheduled meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, planned for early September, after Russia gave temporary asylum to U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Showden. Relations between Moscow and Washington were further strained by differences over last week’s reported chemical weapons attack in Syria. The Syrian issue will undoubtedly be raised by the G20 leaders during the summit, the White House official said. “There’s, at this point, no formal session or event that would involve Syria, but we know that leaders will be talking about it,” he said. 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 | SBP instant transfers now available from 190 Russian banks to Armenia To receive money from Russian banks, easywallet users need to go to their easywallet accounts. Lemkin Institute urges Armenia to respect people’s right to dissent The Lemkin Institute has urged the Armenian government to respect people’s fundamental human right to express their dissent. French-Armenian journalist returns to France after 41-day hunger strike Nicolian said on social media on Sunday, June 2 that he needs to improve his health in order to “continue the fight”. Iran’s Red Crescent sends aid to Armenia’s flood-hit regions The Iranian Red Crescent Society has sent humanitarian aid to the victims of deadly floods that hit northern Armenia on May 25-26. |