Russia to continue assisting CIS states in futureMay 18, 2009 - 20:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia will continue assisting those CIS member states which faced most hardships during the crisis RF FM Sergey Lavrov said Monday, in an interview with "Itogi" journal. "In the meantime, we'll focus on CIS states as our closest neighbors," the Russian diplomat added."We have already allocated considerable sums to Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia," Lavrov noted. "We are planning to work towards realization of those goals, and have allocated USD 7.5 billion to EurAsEc anti-crisis fund which possess a total sum of USD 10 million." As regards the crisis impact on Russia-West and Russia-US relations, it may really be positive in terms of pushing US and West to a more constructive platform in their relations with Russia," the Minister is convinced. Such cooperation not only contributes to elaborating a positive agenda but also helps build mutual trust, skills and culture required for dialogue and mutual cooperation." "No wonder that things have taken such turn. Common sense shows that artificially politicized issue are pushed to the background in times of crisis, and all parties recognize common interests," Russian FM confirmed. 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 | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |