Mubarak statue replaced by figure of ancient Egyptian in AzerbaijanJune 8, 2011 - 17:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The authorities in Azerbaijan have removed a monument to ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The statue of the former Egyptian leader sitting in an armchair in front of three pyramids was taken away from a park in the town of Khirdalan near the Azerbaijani capital on June 7. It was replaced on its plinth by a statue depicting an ancient Egyptian figure. The name of the park, the Azerbaijan-Egyptian Friendship Park, has not been changed. Mubarak's statue was put up in 2007. Opposition and youth activists have been demanding the removal of the statue, which had been put under police guard since Mubarak's ouster in February, RFE/RL reported. 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 | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |