U.S., S. Korean Presidents open for N. Korea nuclear deal talksOctober 17, 2015 - 10:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Friday, October 16, they were open to negotiations with North Korea on sanctions but Pyongyang needed to show it was serious about abandoning its nuclear weapons program, Reuters reports. Asked if he saw the possibility of a deal with North Korea like that reached with Iran, Obama told a joint news conference after talks with Park in Washington that he saw no indication that North Korea envisioned a future without nuclear weapons. "At the point where Pyongyang says we are interested in seeing relief from sanctions and improved relations and we are prepared to have a serious conversation about denuclearization, I think it’s fair to say that we’ll be right there at the table," he said. "We haven’t even gotten to that point yet, because there has been no indication on the part of the North Koreans as there was with the Iranians that they could foresee a future in which they did not possess or were not pursuing nuclear weapons." Park said it was important to have concerted international efforts towards a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue and said she had agreed with Obama on the need to strengthen diplomatic efforts. However, she said in language certain to infuriate North Korea: "There is a saying: You can take a horse to the trough, but you can’t make it drink water." Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |