Azerbaijan is most similar to Gambia, blogger Lapshin tells ArmeniansNovember 4, 2017 - 16:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The country most similar to Azerbaijan is Gambia in Africa, blogger Alexander Lapshin said in a Facebook post on Saturday, November 4. "Armenian friends are asking me: 'Based on your experience of having traveled in 150 countries of the world, what state does Azerbaijan look like the most?' Armenians themselves cannot visit Azerbaijan, so the question is quite appropriate," Lapshin said. "Given the personality cult, persecution of opposition and the press, as well as the general marasmus in the society, they are most similar to the African country of Gambia." Lapshin was sentenced by the Baku court on grave crimes on July 20, 2017 over his visit to Nagorno Karabakh. The blogger was detained in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in December 2016 at Baku’s request. He was flown to Baku on February 7 and handed over to the Azerbaijani State Security Service. Azerbaijan’s prosecutors opened criminal cases against him envisaging jail terms of between five and eight years. He was recently extradited to Israel. 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 | 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 |