Lithuanian FM satisfied with his country’s chairmanship of OSCEDecember 8, 2011 - 11:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis is pleased with the outcomes of the ministerial council meeting and his country’s chairmanship of the Organization on the whole. As a PanAMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from Vilnius, Mr. Ažubalis expressed regret over the failure to reach consensus on security of journalists and media freedom and praised his Irish counterpart, who will assume the CiO post soon, for attaching importance to the issue. Mr. Azubalis said that the bill on security of journalists was blocked by one country but refused to name it. He also hailed resumption of talks on the conflict in Transnistria, what, according to him, gives hope for settlement of other protracted conflicts, including that of Nagorno Karabakh. 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 |