Iran was transporting weapons to Syria via TurkeyMarch 22, 2011 - 16:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish authorities suspecting nuclear arms on board an Iranian cargo plane bound for Syria found less lethal weapons and ammunition, which however still fall under a UN resolution, Turkish daily Milliyet reported on March 22. The plane was forced to land in Turkey on March 20 on suspicion it was carrying illegal weapons or bomb-making materials to Syria. Turkish authorities found rocket launchers, mortars, rifles, explosive materials and other illegal ammunition. Turkey has so far declined to comment the newspaper's information, according to RIA Novosti. This is the second time in a week Turkish authorities have forced an Iranian plane to land for an inspection. A similar case occurred on March 15, but no suspicious material was found. Aksam newspaper reported that Turkey has been grounding Iranian planes for inspection since June 2010, in terms of NATO requirements which Turkey is a party of. The United States has repeatedly warned Ankara about the possibility of carrying explosive materials or weapons to Syria on Iranian aircraft in violation of UN resolutions. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |