OSCE calls on Yerevan and Baku to make full use of MG proposalsJune 10, 2008 - 14:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb met the three Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Helsinki on Monday to discuss developments related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza of the United States, along with Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, briefed Minister Stubb on recent developments, in particular on the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 7 June in St. Petersburg. Minister Stubb expressed his full support for the work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. "Conflict resolution in the OSCE area is a key priority of the Finnish Chairmanship. I encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to make full use of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs' facilitation and to consider seriously the proposal for the basic principles for resolving the conflict. There is no alternative to a peaceful resolution of the conflict," he said, the OSCE communication unit reports. 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 |