U.S. Rep. Berman urges to block Azeri participation in NATO programSeptember 28, 2012 - 10:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA) urged the State Department to rally a joint protest of NATO allies against Azerbaijan and to block that country’s participation in NATO Partnership for Peace initiatives in response to the Aliyev government’s recent pardon and promotion of convicted axe-murderer Ramil Safarov, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). In a strongly worded letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Berman acknowledged the strong Obama administration condemnation of Azerbaijan’s release of Safarov, but added, “in my view, however, the abhorrent nature of this pardon, as well as the gruesome nature of the original crime and the context in which it occurred, demands something more. It demands a strong and meaningful response.” Berman went on to outline concrete actions that the State Department can undertake including: arranging for a joint protest to President Aliyev by all members of NATO; calling on NATO to suspend Azerbaijan from all participation in PfP events unless and until Aliyev rescinds the pardon and promotion and re-incarcerates the killer, or returns him to Hungary, to serve the remainder of his life sentence; immediately halting all military assistance and arms transfers to Azerbaijan. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |