U.S. believes Georgia should have arms to defend against RussiaMarch 17, 2011 - 20:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Senator John McCain said that possession of arms by Georgia to defend against Russia was in the focus of a meeting of the U.S. Senate leaders with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is on a visit to the U.S. "We discussed many issues, including possession of defensive arms by Georgia so that the country is able to defend against Russia's aggression in future. Possession of defensive arms by Georgia is my and several other people's priority," the official website of the Georgian President quoted McCain as saying. Besides, the country's democratic and economic development was discussed. According to McCain, Georgia should be praised for the achievements gained on the way of economic and democratic development. Saakashvili's visit to the U.S. started on March 10. On the first day of the visit, the organization of American billionaire Donald Trump and Silk Road Group company signed an agreement in on construction of residential complexes and hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi. $250mln will be invested during the first stage of the project implementation. After the "five-day war" in August 2008, Russia recognized independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - former Georgian autonomies. Tbilisi has declared Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied territories and has broken diplomatic relations with Russia, RIA Novosti reported. 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 petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Pashinyan: Armenia’s desired goal is “on the horizon” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is moving forward “without interruption”. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. |