Iraq's Foreign Minister says country faces ‘mortal threat’June 11, 2014 - 14:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq's Foreign Minister said the fall of the major northern city of Mosul to insurgents must push the country's leaders to work together and deal with the "serious, mortal threat" facing Iraq, the Associated Press reports. Hoshyar Zebari made the comments in Athens Wednesday, June 11, on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union and Arab League Foreign Ministers. He said he assured his colleagues there would be "closer cooperation" between Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government to push the insurgents out of Mosul. Most of the city was seized Tuesday in a major assault by al Qaeda-inspired militants known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Zebari said they could be pushed back "by the Iraqi security forces in cooperation with the Kurdish peshmerga forces," adding that the response had to come "soon." 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |