Turkey wants €5 bln to stem flow of refugees to EuropeJanuary 30, 2016 - 14:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ankara wants additional 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion at current exchange rates) from the European Union to tackle the migrant crisis, which will almost double the initially agreed sum, Sputnik International reported Saturday, January 30. On November 29, the European Union and Turkey approved a joint plan to counter the influx of migrants into the bloc, under which EU member states will give some 3 billion euros to Ankara and fast track the negotiations for its accession to the 28-nation bloc. German Die Welt newspaper reported, citing a high-ranking EU diplomat that Turkey wanted to receive some 5 billion euros from the European Union, despite the fact that Brussels was ready to provide Ankara with the sum that had been agreed before. Europe is currently struggling to cope with a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people leaving their crisis-torn countries of origin in North Africa and the Middle East for stable and wealthy EU member states. Turkey is a key transit route for refugees. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees are temporarily living in Turkey, many of whom seek to travel further to Europe. 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. |