Once naval officer, Kerry arrives in Vietnam as U.S. Secretary of StateDecember 14, 2013 - 10:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Forty-four years after first setting foot in Vietnam as a young naval officer, John Kerry has returned once more, this time as America's top diplomat, the Associated Press reports. Kerry arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday. It's his 14th trip to the southeast Asian nation since the end of the war that so profoundly influenced his political career and foreign-policy thinking. Kerry wants to bolster the friendly relations with the former U.S. enemy that he helped engineer as a senator in the 1990s. Kerry will spend a day in the city he knew first as Saigon before heading to the capital of Hanoi for talks expected to focus on maritime security and territorial issues in the South China Sea, trade and human rights. From Vietnam, Kerry will travel to the Philippines. Related links: 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. |