Syria govt accuses Turkey of breaking commitments as rebels boycott talksMarch 14, 2017 - 16:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian government accused Turkey of breaking its commitments to peace talks as Ankara-backed rebel groups boycotted a third round of meetings due to begin in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, March 14, according to Reuters. The Astana talks were launched in January with support from Russia and Iran which back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, one of the main backers of the opposition. "When one of the three guarantors breaks their commitment - and I mean Turkey - this means that Turkey must be one that is asked about the non-attendance or participation of these armed groups," Bashar al Ja'afari, the Syrian government envoy, said in broadcast remarks from Astana. The Syrian opposition said it would not attend the talks because of what it called Russia's unwillingness to end air strikes against civilians and its failure to put pressure on the Syrian army to abide by a widely violated ceasefire. Ja'afari said the Syrian government had gone to Astana to meet its Iranian and Russian allies, not the armed opposition groups, and "to show the Syrian government's seriousness" in engaging in the Astana process. Ja'afari said the non-attendance of the armed groups served "the view of the government of Syria and showed the political deficiency of these armed groups". He added that the rebels' decision on whether to attend or not was taken not by them, but by "their operators". Top stories 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |