Austrian politician: Turkey and Russia have nothing to do with EuropeJune 25, 2008 - 14:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider questioned Tuesday why Russia and Turkey were allowed to participate in the European soccer championships, the Euro 2008."What have these two countries got in common with Europe?" Haider asked in an interview published in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Turkey is set to play Germany in the semi-final on Wednesday and Russia will play Spain in the other semi-final on Thursday. That means the final in Vienna on Sunday could pitch two non-EU members against each other, Russia versus Turkey. Haider, who heads the Austrian far-right BZOe party, is opposed to Turkey's bid to join the 27-nation EU. "The Turks could well win the final in Vienna. But Europe's gates must remain closed for Turkey," he said. "I don't think they're in a position to accept European rules and culture," he said, the AFP 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 | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |