Armenian, Azerbaijani Presidents back civil initiativeJuly 4, 2009 - 00:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the group of Armenian and Azeri intellectuals who paid a one-day visit to Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku on the initiative of Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Russia, Armen Smbatyan and Polad Bulbuloglu. "We live in a unique region which experiences serious problems that can be resolved through trust and cooperation," President Sargsyan said. For his part, Ambassador Bulbuloglu said that it's time to enable public diplomacy. Civil initiatives along with political dialogue can help establishment of communication and resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the intellectuals said. After the meeting, the delegations headed for Baku to meet with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 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. |