Kazakh ruling party nominates Nazarbayev for new presidential termMarch 11, 2015 - 17:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The long-serving president of oil-rich Kazakhstan says he will stand again in snap April elections, and he is all but guaranteed to win. According to the Associated Press, state news agency Kazinform reported that the ruling Nur Otan party formally nominated President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 74, to run during its congress Wednesday, March 11, in the capital, Astana. Nazarbayev has maintained a firm grip over power in the vast and sparsely populated Central Asian nation for more than two decades. Genuine opposition has been actively repressed and critics of the government either jailed or chased into exile. Kazakhstan's economy has surged on the back of energy and mineral riches. But plummeting prices for oil and Kazakhstan's interdependence with neighboring Russia, whose economy is entering a period of extended doldrums, are threatening to usher in stagnation. 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. |