Cuban leader Castro says “willing to talk to U.S.”July 26, 2012 - 19:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Cuban President Raul Castro has made a seemingly impromptu address at a Revolution Day ceremony and said he is willing to hold talks with the U.S., BBC News said. President Castro, who had not spoken at the event for two years, grabbed the microphone to address the crowd in the eastern province of Guantanamo. He said he would hold talks with the U.S., as long as it was "a conversation between equals". The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for five decades. President Castro said the offer had already been made through diplomatic channels and that no topic was off limits. "Any day they want, the table is set", Mr Castro said. He said he was prepared to discuss "the problems of democracy, human rights etc. But on equal terms because we are no-one's colony." If the U.S. wanted confrontation, he quipped, then it should be in baseball or some other sport. "Preferably baseball when sometimes they win, sometimes we do," he said. Turning to internal matters, he said that social and economic reforms within Cuba would go on "little by little". The annual ceremony marks the 59th anniversary of the failed storming of the Moncada military barracks, often considered the beginning of the revolution led by his brother Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro frequently used Revolution Day addresses to make major policy announcements. This year's main celebration began at dawn with music and speeches. First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said in a keynote address that Havana would continue efforts to shut down the U.S. naval base there. "We will continue to fight such a flagrant violation... we will never stop trying to recover that piece of ground," he said. 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 | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |