Albania hosts security meeting to fight recruitment by extremist groupsMay 19, 2015 - 16:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Security officials from the western Balkans and several European Union countries are meeting in Albania as part of a U.S. government initiative to fight European recruitment by violent Islamic groups to fight in Iraq and Syria, the Associated Press reports. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Sarah Sewall attended the two-day conference in the Albanian capital Tirana and urged countries in the region to improve cooperation against recruitment and draw up national strategies to combat the problem. Hundreds of fighters from Albania and Western Balkan countries, which face economic and employment challenges, have joined terrorist rebels in Syria and Iraq in the past three years. The White House launched the Countering Violent Extremism program in February. 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. |