Russia says Aleppo ceasefire extended until May 9May 7, 2016 - 12:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo has been extended for three days to "prevent the situation from worsening," the Russian defense ministry said, according to BBC News. The Syrian army announced a two-day truce on Wednesday, May 4, after two weeks of clashes left nearly 300 civilians dead. The truce is part of international efforts to build on a wide-ranging ceasefire introduced in February. Russia has been supporting its allies in the Syrian government with air strikes since September 2015. Aleppo, in north-west Syria, was the country's industrial and financial centre before the five-year civil war started. The recent violence there has been the worst phase of the war in the city for more than a year. The nationwide cessation of hostilities brokered in late February by the U.S. and Russia, which back opposing sides in the war, is close to collapse, BBC says. Russia said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn about 30 aircraft from its airbase in Syria, including all of the Su-25 ground attack planes stationed there. The Russian military began the withdrawal of most of its forces from Syria in March, six months after launching an air campaign to bolster President Bashar al-Assad. To the south of Aleppo, combat continues between the Syrian army and rebels including the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate that is not included in the cessation of hostilities. 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. |