EU slams Turkey’s human rights recordOctober 10, 2012 - 19:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission on Wednesday, October 10 criticized Turkey for its human rights record and insufficient reforms, Reuters said. "The situation regarding the respect of fundamental rights on the ground continues to be the source of serious preoccupation," it said. It listed the rights to liberty and security and to a fair trial, as well as the freedom of expression, assembly and association, as areas of particular concern. As a consequence of government policies, it said, self-censorship by the media was increasingly widespread. The Commission criticized Ankara for poor cooperation with the EU during the second half of this year, as EU member Cyprus has held the bloc's rotating presidency. Turkey's EU path is complicated by Cyprus, divided between Greek Cypriot and Turkish parts. Only Ankara recognizes the northern part of the island as a sovereign state. 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. |