China to send envoy to Iran for nuclear talksFebruary 10, 2012 - 15:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, February 10 it will send a senior official to Iran for talks on the country's nuclear program, which has spurred tensions between Tehran and the West and led to new European Union and U.S. sanctions. Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will head to Iran for talks on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said, reiterating Beijing's emphasis on diplomacy over sanctions to resolve the issue. "We have consistently advocated dialogue and cooperation as the only proper channel for resolving the Iran nuclear issue," Liu told reporters at a regular news briefing. "(Ma will) have a further exchange of views with Iran over its nuclear program," he added, without giving details, according to Reuters. Tensions rose last month when EU leaders agreed to embargo Iranian oil by July and to freeze the assets of Iran's central bank, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at discouraging Tehran's nuclear ambitions. China is Iran's political ally and the top buyer of Iranian oil, taking around 20 percent of total exports. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely for peaceful means. 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 | IDBank, Dalma team up for Caucasian Deer Reintroduction Program IDBank has joined Dalma Garden Mall’s Green Challenge to support the Caucasian red deer reintroduction project. Through Ucom’s support the 12th Sunchild Festival concludes On May 24-28, with the support of Ucom, the 12th international environmental festival Sunchild took place in Yerevan. U.S., Turkey emphasize importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal Jake Sullivan and Akif Cagatay Kilic have discussed the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia coach expects good football in Slovenia friendly The Armenian national team has left for Ljubljana a friendly match against Slovenia on June 4. |