Almaty held informal meeting of leaders of seven CIS countriesDecember 19, 2009 - 18:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Presidents of seven countries - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan began informal meeting in hotel "Ak-Bulak" of a suburb of Almaty. As the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said, issues of security and economic integration are to be discussed. Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed to talk about "regional security, exchange views on measures to counter emerging threats." In turn, the president of Russia Dmitri Medvedev expressed hope that today's informal summit would "find answers to the questions faced by our countries in this difficult year." 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 | Lemkin Institute urges Armenia to respect people’s right to dissent The Lemkin Institute has urged the Armenian government to respect people’s fundamental human right to express their dissent. Iran’s Red Crescent sends aid to Armenia’s flood-hit regions The Iranian Red Crescent Society has sent humanitarian aid to the victims of deadly floods that hit northern Armenia on May 25-26. 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. |