  Erdogan scraps visit to Argentina May 31, 2010 - 12:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a trip to Argentina on Sunday after Buenos Aires authorities halted the display of a bust of Turkey's founder, a move Turkey blamed on Armenian lobbyists. The row over the statue, due to be unveiled in a park, comes during a high-profile trip to South America by Erdogan. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the two-day visit, which was to have begun Sunday, was canceled, and it “hopes Argentina will take steps to remove the shadow cast on Turkish-Argentine relations.” "The trip was canceled because written permission for the monument given to Turkey beforehand by the ... Buenos Aires district was reversed as a result of initiatives by the Armenian lobby, which is opposed to Turkey," it said. “Argentina's president spoke with Erdogan to explain she could not overrule the decision, yet he found this unacceptable and decided not to go,” the statement added, Reuters 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 |  Latest 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 |
