U.S. Secretary of State, Iranian FM meet for nuke talksJanuary 24, 2015 - 10:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif met on Thursday, Jan 22 a senior State Department official said, the latest in an intensifying series of talks to reach a deal on Iran's disputed nuclear program, Reuters reports. There was no immediate word on whether the two men had made progress in the hour-long session on a deal to curb Iran's nuclear work in return for an unraveling of Western economic sanctions on Tehran. Having missed a November accord for a deadline, the two sides are now looking to reach a framework agreement in March and a final long-term deal by June 30. Kerry and Zarif met as recently as last week, both in Geneva and in Paris. Meanwhile, Zarif, speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, warned that more sanctions by the U.S. Congress would kill the negotiating process between Iran and major powers on its nuclear program. Some lawmakers in both major U.S. political parties have backed fresh sanctions against Tehran, something U.S. President Barack Obama says he opposes while negotiations are continuing. "A sanctions bill by the U.S. Congress will kill the joint plan of action," an interim agreement adopted in November 2013, Zarif said. "The president of the United States has the power to veto it, but our parliament will have its counter-action and our president doesn't have the power to veto it." 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 | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |