Under favorable conditions, Armenia can change South Caucasus imageFebruary 10, 2009 - 14:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The August war in South Ossetia has considerably changed the situation in the Caucasus. Now, the West's major task is to find a partner in the South Caucasus, Karen Bekaryan, head of European Integration NGO, told a news conference in Yerevan today. "It's not a secret that the South Caucasus is attractive not only for Washington but also for Moscow," he said, adding that the 'football diplomacy' launched by the Armenian President last year sped up the events. "Numerous meeting in Munich and Davos were held on the initiative of European states," Bekaryan said. He also drew attention to Serzh Sargsyan's speech at the Munich Security Conference. "The head of state focused on regional security and confidence-building measures. He also mentioned about Armenia's isolation from some regional projects," he said. "If Armenia manages to combine initiative foreign policy with the course of reforms, the republic can change the image of the South Caucasus," Bekaryan concluded. 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 | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |