Melania Trump announces White House will reopen to publicFebruary 15, 2017 - 10:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - After pressure from lawmakers, First Lady Melania Trump announced Tuesday, February 14 the White House will reopen to the public in early March, nearly seven weeks after her husband Donald became president, AFP reports. White House tours are highly popular with visitors to Washington, a perk arranged by members of Congress for their constituents and foreign embassies for their nationals. Some members of Congress had begun complaining about the long delay in restarting tours that had been suspended since Trump's inauguration January 20. Melania Trump said the public tours will resume March 7 of the 224-year-old White House. "I am excited to reopen the White House to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come each year. The White House is a remarkable and historic site and we are excited to share its beauty and history," she said in a brief statement. The first lady, who plans to continue living at the Trump Tower in New York until their 10-year-old son Baron finishes the school year, stressed her dedication to the White House. "I am committed to the restoration and preservation of our nation's most recognizable landmark," she said. The unusually long White House closure had irked a number of lawmakers, whose constituents were unhappy about the lack of public access. On Sunday, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley rang the Twitter alarm. "Whoever monitors twitter at WH for businessman president Trump 'when is WH going to be opened for public tours?' Mrs G wants to know," Grassley tweeted. A group of two dozen lawmakers circulated a letter to the White House on Monday, asking the same question. 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 | Pasadena to host Armenian Genocide commemoration event The Pasadena Armenian Coalition will host its community-wide Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event. Armenia: Opposition activist transferred to Investigative Committee Activist Samvel Vardanyan has been accused of insulting the lawmaker Hakob Aslanyan from the ruling Civil Contract party. Former Pashinyan envoy urges end to Genocide speculation Marukyan has urged authorities in Armenia stop discussions about verifying the names of 1.5 million victims. Azerbaijan, Jordan sign deal on defense cooperation Azerbaijan and Jordan have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to an official statement. |