WSP assists leaders of Asian states in meeting with U.S. administration for good feeJuly 25, 2008 - 17:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Worldwide Strategic Partners consulting corporation founded by well-known U.S. lobbyist Stephen Payne assists leaders of Asian states in meeting with the U.S. administration for good fee, The Sunday Times reports. "Houston-based Worldwide Strategic Partners Inc. arranged for the president of Azerbaijan to visit the United States and meet with President Bush ... (and) arranged a private phone call between the vice president of the United States and the president of Azerbaijan. It also states that he "developed" and placed a series of op-ed pieces written by influential U.S. officials to boost positive U.S. public perception about Azerbaijan," the report says. WSP also "worked" with members of the Helsinki Committee to smooth the wording in the American press regarding the outcomes of the 2006 presidential election in Azerbaijan and helped a media campaign to discredit the Azeri opposition. A series of editorials and comments by famous U.S. politicians was published to create a positive image of Azerbaijan. 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 |