Russia says won't stay in Syria forever, Turkey denies sending troopsFebruary 15, 2016 - 11:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz denied a report that some Turkish soldiers had entered Syria at the weekend and said Ankara was not considering sending troops into the neighboring country, Reuters reports citing state-run Anadolu Agency. "It is not true," Yilmaz told a Turkish parliamentary commission, when asked about the claim in a Syrian foreign ministry letter to the UN Security Council. "There is no thought of Turkish soldiers entering Syria." The Syrian government has said Turkish forces were believed to be among 100 gunmen who entered Syria on Saturday, February 13 with 12 pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, in an operation to supply insurgents fighting Damascus. Yilmaz also denied reports that Saudi Arabian aircraft had arrived at NATO-member Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants, but said a decision had been reached for Saudi to send four F-16 jets. Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview that Moscow does not plan to maintain its military presence in Syria indefinitely, Reuters says. In an interview with Time magazine Medvedev was asked if Russia would help its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his stated aim of restoring his control over all of Syria. "We have no plans... for such a never-ending presence in Syria. We are there pursuing an entirely limited, concrete objective," Medvedev said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the government. Photo. Getty Images 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 | About 173 million drams and more than 30 beneficiary funds. "The Power of One Dram" is 4 years old In June 2020, the exclusive joint corporate social responsibility initiative of Idram and IDBank "The Power of One Dram" was launched. CSTO budget “to be adjusted due to Yerevan’s non-payment of contributions” The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. |