Kerry urging Beijing for restraint in South China SeaMay 16, 2015 - 12:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is urging China to halt increasingly assertive actions it is taking in the South China Sea. Amid verbal sparring between Washington and Beijing over land reclamation projects that China is conducting in disputed waters, Kerry urged Chinese officials to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. In response, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said his country was interested in dialogue on the matter but would not back down on defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity as they relate to its claims. The claims have rattled the region where South China Sea islands and reefs are contested by China and five other Asian governments. The U.S. says it takes no position on the sovereignty claims but insists they must be negotiated. 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 | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. 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. |