Lavrov says U.S. sending 'signals' to start mending tiesAugust 24, 2015 - 19:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, Aug 24, the United States has been sending "signals" that it wants to start mending ties with Moscow, badly strained over the past year and a half by the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reports. Lavrov made clear Moscow was open to further dialogue, though it would also not "beg" for better ties. "But if we receive a proposal to start, even gradually, restoring these channels, mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation that have been frozen by our American partners, I am sure ... we will agree to restore these channels," he said. "We are already getting such signals from the Americans, though for now not very clear," Lavrov told a youth meeting. As well as the Ukraine conflict, in which more than 6,500 people have been killed since April 2014, Washington and Moscow are at loggerheads over the Syrian crisis, human rights and trade and security issues. However, Lavrov said last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin would "consider constructively" any request for a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama when he travels to New York next month for the UN General Assembly. Also last week, Putin said at a meeting with U.S. boxing champion Roy Jones Jr.: "We have had different kinds of relations at different times, but whenever America and Russia's higher interest demanded it, we always found the strength to build relations in the best possible way." 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 | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |