TCA urges US Senate to appoint ambassador to TurkeyNovember 4, 2010 - 18:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Head of the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) has urged the United States Senate to approve the ambassadorial nominee to Turkey within the shortest terms. Lincoln McCurdy said in an article in the congressional newspaper, The Hill, that the Senate should confirm Francis Joseph Ricciardone as US ambassador in Ankara. "Turkey is a significant political and economic actor that has played a crucial role in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe in the last decade. The country is a valuable ally to the US and NATO in maintaining peace and stability," McCurdy said. "Yet the US Embassy in Ankara has been without a leader since July. Four months later, there is still no ambassador to Turkey, and if recent Senate machinations continue, we may have no leadership in Ankara until 2011. When Congress returns for the lame duck session in November, the Senate must resolve this impasse," he said. "The presence of a US Ambassador in a critical allied country like Turkey, which is undergoing significant internal changes this year, is indispensable to maintaining a close dialogue and a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. Leaving this position unfilled is sending the wrong message to Turkey," The Anatolia News Agency quoted McCurdy as saying. 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 | 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. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |