  North Korea foreign minister to visit Azerbaijan April 3, 2018 - 14:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho left Pyongyang for Beijing on Tuesday, April 3 morning and will visit Azerbaijan and Russia shortly thereafter, regional media reported Tuesday, Sputnik reports. After his visit to China, the minister will take part in a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Baku, and then he will visit Russia, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources. Pyongyang has not yet revealed any announcement of the foreign minister's tour. The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier said that Moscow was working on the visit of the North Korean foreign minister to Russia in the near future. Experts link Ri Yong-ho's visit to Russia, as well as the trip of the country's head Kim Jong-un to China last week, to North Korea's desire to ensure support of other countries before Kim's meetings with the presidents of South Korea and the United States, in order to guarantee the preservation of the political system and reduce military threats at the denuclearization negotiations.   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 |  Latest 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. |
