Norwegian ex-PM Jens Stoltenberg elected as new NATO leaderMarch 28, 2014 - 19:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - NATO ambassadors chose former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as the next leader of the Western military alliance, NATO said on Friday, March 28, according to Reuters. He will take over as secretary-general from October 1, succeeding Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO said in a statement. Rasmussen said on social media site Twitter that Stoltenberg was "the right man to build on NATO's record of strength and success" and said the Ukraine crisis showed the need for NATO to have continued strong and determined leadership. Stoltenberg, who served for nearly 10 years in total as Norway's prime minister before losing power in elections last September, was backed by the United States, NATO's dominant power, and Germany. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that he also backed Stoltenberg. Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who took office in 2009, is due to step down at the end of September after a summit in Wales which will mark almost the end of NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan. Related links: 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. |