Caucasus platform members likely to meet till yearendNovember 25, 2008 - 18:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Five members of the Turkey-led Caucasus platform are expected to meet by the end of this year for fully-fledged discussions, Russia's ambassador to Turkey said. "The proposals submitted by the Turkish side concerning the platform are appropriate for us and we will continue to work together," Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovsky told reporters on the sidelines of a reception at the Russian Embassy. "We expect positive signals from other countries as well and I hope the representatives of five countries will begin collective discussions by the end of this year," he added. Turkey came up with the idea to set to up a Caucasus Solidarity and Cooperation Platform in the wake of the Georgia-Russia war last summer. The regional mechanism is planned to be made up of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Georgia. Tbilisi has so far opposed sitting at the same table as Moscow before the withdrawal of Russian troops from its soil, but diplomatic sources earlier said the Georgians are now looking warm on the idea. Ivanovsky welcomed the process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia as "very constructive" and "positive." He voiced hope for positive outcomes of the Babacan-Nalbandian meeting in Istanbul, Hurriyet daily reports. 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. |