UN chief to visit industrial complex run by North, South KoreaMay 19, 2015 - 13:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit the Kaesong industrial complex just north of the inter-Korean border on Thursday, May 21, he told a media briefing, according to Reuters. The Kaesong industrial complex, a special economic zone a few kilometers north of the heavily fortified border, is jointly run by North and South Korea. Ban will be the third serving secretary general to visit the north, and the first since Boutros Boutros-Ghali crossed through the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, at Panmunjom, in December 1993. Kurt Waldheim visited the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in 1979 and again in 1981. North Korea is under UN sanctions for its nuclear and missile programs. In December, the UN General Assembly urged the Security Council to consider referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court after a UN inquiry detailed wide-ranging abuses in the isolated country comparable to Nazi-era atrocities. 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 | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |