EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEADER IMPRESSED BY ARMENIA READINESS TO FOLLOW EUROPEAN STANDARDSDecember 4, 2003 - 19:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - European Parliament President Pat Cox stated she is "impressed by Armenian President's readiness to follow European standards." In her words, in the course of talks with Robert Kocharian in Brussels today the opportunities of establishing closer ties of the South Caucasian countries with the enlarging European Union were discussed. Armenia's interrelations with neighbors, specifically Georgia and Turkey, as well as the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, were discussed, "Mediamax" agency 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 | 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 |