Armenian Committee condemns New Zealand terrorist attackMarch 16, 2019 - 12:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of New Zealand (ANC-NZ) unequivocally condemns the terrorist attack on Mosques in Christchurch, which took away 49 innocent lives, the Committee said in a statement. "Further, we condemn the accused gunman's attempt to reference the Armenian language, along with the languages of other Christian nationalities - including Georgian, Serbian, Russian and Austrian - through markings on his weapons used in what was an unacceptable hate crime targeting the Islamic community," the statement reads. "Such crusades have no place in our world, and definitely no place in peace-loving New Zealand. "Armenian-New Zealanders, and Armenians the world over, stand in unconditional solidarity with the members and worshippers of the Mosques that were attacked, we mourn with the families of those who lost their loved ones, as well as the entire Muslim-New Zealand community. "The Islamic community is a vital part of our country’s multicultural framework and such abominable acts of terrorism are unreflective of our shared values of respect, tolerance and intercultural dialogue." 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 |