EU chief ignores Turkey threats, says Ankara should meet visa termsMay 26, 2016 - 13:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU expects Turkey to respect all conditions to secure visa-free travel for its citizens and has rejected what he called threats from Ankara, the Associated Press reports. Juncker said at the Group of Seven summit Thursday, May 26 that "we do expect that Turkey will stick to its commitments." Turkey must meet 72 conditions to get the visa waiver. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to change Turkey's anti-terror laws to do so. The visa offer is part of a deal to persuade Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe. Erdogan has said the deal could collapse if the Europeans renege on visas. Juncker said "threats are not the best diplomatic instrument you can use —so one should stop to use them, because they will produce no effect whatsoever." 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. |