Obama, European leaders vow to keep up Russia sanctionsNovember 18, 2016 - 17:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders pledged Friday, November 18 to maintain NATO cooperation, and vowed to keep up sanctions against Russia, in their first meeting since the shock election of Donald Trump sparked fears of drastic policy shifts, AFP reports. During a fractious presidential campaign, Trump had appeared to call into question a near 70-year-old security shield for U.S. allies under NATO, and vowed to withdraw from hard-fought deals on the climate and Iran's nuclear programme. The U.S. president-elect's friendly disposition towards Russian President Vladimir Putin has also raised questions over his attitude toward Moscow's backing for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war as well as Russia's role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In the talks in Berlin during which jittery European partners sought reassurances from Obama, the six parties "agreed on the necessity of working collectively to move the transatlantic agenda forward", according to a statement from the White House. That meant "securing diplomatic resolution to the conflicts in Syria and eastern Ukraine", including putting the heat on Russia through sanctions until it met its commitments under a peace deal for Ukraine. The leaders also affirmed the "importance of continued cooperation through multilateral institutions, including NATO". Ahead of Friday's huddle in Berlin, Obama sounded a note of cautious optimism that Trump could change his position once he takes on the role as president. "There's something about the solemn responsibilities of that office ... that forces you to focus, that demands seriousness," Obama said at a press conference after talks with his host German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "And if you're not serious about the job, then you probably won't be there very long. Because it will expose problems." But Obama also stressed the importance of a united Europe, and urged the bloc not to take for granted the transatlantic relationship that has been built up over decades. "The EU remains one of the world's great political and economic achievements, and those achievements should not be taken for granted," he said. 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 | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |