French President criticises Britain over child refugeesFebruary 21, 2017 - 15:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Francois Hollande called Tuesday, February 21 on Britain to "accept its responsibility" to take in stranded under-age migrants stuck in France who wish to join up with family in the UK, Reuters reports. The issue has been a constant irritant between the two countries, made worse by Britain's decision this month to end an arrangement to take in up to 3,000 unaccompanied minors from Europe. The scrapping of the so-called "Dubs agreement" by Britain's conservative government has sparked criticism from opposition MPs in London and led to anger in France. "France is playing its part in the European effort. We expect that our partners do the same, particularly when we are talking about minors on their own," Hollande told a conference on children in conflict zones. "I call on the United Kingdom to accept its responsibility for adolescents in France at the moment who have family on the other side of the Channel," he added. Last October, French authorities cleared a squalid camp near the Calais port on the Channel sea separating the countries which was filled with thousands of migrants hoping to reach Britain. The camp dwellers, many fleeing war in Sudan, Iraq or Afghanistan, were dispersed around France. Children with family in Britain were assured that authorities would help them travel to reach them. 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. |