Russia leaving Open Skies defense pactJanuary 15, 2021 - 16:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia will exit the Open Skies treaty in a matter of days, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday, January 15, Deutsche Welle reports. The country must give six months notice to the other member states. Russian leaders may change their mind before the six months is up. Moscow had been concerned about Washington receiving intelligence gathered by allies still adhering to the treaty. The Kremlin had reportedly sought guarantees from other member states that they would not share such intelligence, but they were not forthcoming. The planned withdrawal was "due to the lack of progress in removing obstacles to the continuation of contractual operations under the new conditions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The withdrawal will take place after Joe Biden has been inaugurated into office. Biden has expressed eagerness to renew the nuclear arms control treaty, New START, between the two powers — it is set to expire in February. The US left the treaty on arms control and verification in November after accusing Russia of treaty violations in May — Moscow denied the accusation. 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 |