Joint naval exercise likely to be canceled over Ukraine tensionsMarch 13, 2014 - 21:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A naval exercise in the Barents Sea involving Norway, the U.S. and Russia is expected to be canceled because of action that Washington is taking against Russia regarding Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. The biannual Northern Eagle exercise is scheduled to take place in May. But Norwegian Defense Department spokeswoman Marita Isaksen Wangberg said Thursday, March 13, the drill "probably won't go ahead as planned" after the Pentagon froze joint exercises with Russia because of the Ukraine crisis. In an email to the AP, she said that also means a planning conference ahead of the drill has been canceled until further notice. U.S. and Russian warships have been conducting the exercise since 2004 and Norway joined it in 2008. The U.S. has criticized Moscow for backing a referendum Sunday about making Crimea, Ukraine, independent. 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. |