CIS chief warns of impending crisis in Central Asia, Middle EastJune 5, 2013 - 17:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The armed forces of the member-states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) must be ready to face a potential escalation of tension in Central Asia and Middle East, CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said on Wednesday, June 5, according to RIA Novosti. “There are serious risks and threats associated with the escalation of the situation around Syria and Iran,” Lebedev said at a meeting of CIS defense ministers in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. “The potential for conflict in Afghanistan remains high and the future situation in the country after the withdrawal of coalition troops is largely unclear,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is a growing potential for future threats to Central Asian countries, and we must be prepared for this in advance,” Lebedev added. The CIS, a loose organization of former Soviet republics, includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The CIS defense ministers agreed at the Minsk meeting to continue efforts to further integrate their respective military structures, including a joint air defense network, in order to strengthen their defenses against emerging threats in Central Asia. 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 | Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. Baku: EU, U.S. share responsibility for Armenia’s “destabilizing actions” Azerbaijan has declared that the European Union and the United States will share responsibility for any destabilizing actions of Armenia Armenia to sing in 2nd semi-final of Eurovision The organizers of Eurovision 2024 have revealed the running order of the countries in the two semi-finals. Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of arming Karabakh after 2020 Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of “illegally transported ammunition” to Nagorno-Karabakh after the November 9 statement. |