Ukraine leader dismisses key ministers in major cabinet reshuffleDecember 24, 2012 - 14:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In a major cabinet reshuffle on Monday Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych dismissed a number of key ministers and government agency chiefs, RIA Novosti reported. Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, Defense Minister Dmytro Salamatin, Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko and Natural Resources Minister Eduard Stavitskiy all lost their jobs. The president also dismissed Tax Service head Oleksandr Klymenko, Health Minister Raisa Bohatyryova, Culture Minister Mikhailo Kuliyank and State Property Management Agency chief Dmytro Kolesnikov. Yanukovych appointed Leonid Kozhara as the country’s new foreign minister and Pavlo Lebedev as defense minister. Vitaliy Zakharchenko has kept his job as interior minister and Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov will also stay on. Top stories 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |