  Turkey alters stand on Armenia?July 27, 2009 - 12:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's Chief EU Negotiator, Egemen Bagis said the reconstruction of the Armenian Church on Akhtamar island will be accomplished before Serzh Sargsyan's arrival in Turkey."We will finish the reconstruction before the Armenian President's arrival and inaugurate a cross on the Church," Bagis said. "All religions are respected. If Europe puts no bans on opening mosques, so why should we do so? Besides, this church will attract Armenians here, what will help develop tourism." Bagis said closed borders are the vestige of communism. "We say Greeks are bad, Kurds are bad too. How long will we be at loggerheads? We should put an end to animosity." he said, Hurriyet 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 |  Related sections Topic Latest 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. |
