Merkel says Russia sanctions still necessaryNovember 26, 2014 - 10:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday, Nov 25, economic sanctions against Russia for Moscow’s position on Ukrainian developments are still necessary, TASS reports. “They (sanctions) are inevitable while Russia makes no or few efforts to overcome the crisis,” Merkel said at a congress of European Family Business in Berlin. She admitted that the sanctions negatively affect the European economy, including Germany. Russian officials and companies came under the first batch of sanctions, including visa bans and assets freezing. New penalties against Russia were announced in late July, when Moscow responded with a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway. Photo: RIA 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 | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). 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 |