Lavrov slams ‘attempts to blame Russia’ for Ukraine crisisDecember 5, 2014 - 16:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the West on Friday, Dec 5, for what he said were constant attempts to blame Russia for the crisis in east Ukraine and said Moscow was not isolated over the conflict, Reuters reports. Lavrov reiterated Moscow's calls for Kiev to hold direct talks with pro-Russian militants fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine, saying it "makes no sense" to seek ways out of the conflict without their involvement. "Our Western colleagues, some European countries but Americans first and foremost ... if they want to try to present us as the main culprits, which is what they are constantly doing ... this is not right, this won't work," he said. Lavrov also called on Kiev's Western backers, including France and Germany, to press Ukraine to carry out constitutional reform, which Moscow has said must give the Russian-speaking eastern regions wide autonomy. To address common security problems in Europe, Russia says it wants a new platform for dialogue between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc which Moscow is creating as a counterweight to the 28-nation EU. Some EU member states are opposed but Lavrov said on Friday his meetings at the two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) showed the idea was gaining popularity. He praised what he said was Berlin's readiness to discuss it. 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. |