French President criticises Britain over child refugeesFebruary 21, 2017 - 15:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Francois Hollande called Tuesday, February 21 on Britain to "accept its responsibility" to take in stranded under-age migrants stuck in France who wish to join up with family in the UK, Reuters reports. The issue has been a constant irritant between the two countries, made worse by Britain's decision this month to end an arrangement to take in up to 3,000 unaccompanied minors from Europe. The scrapping of the so-called "Dubs agreement" by Britain's conservative government has sparked criticism from opposition MPs in London and led to anger in France. "France is playing its part in the European effort. We expect that our partners do the same, particularly when we are talking about minors on their own," Hollande told a conference on children in conflict zones. "I call on the United Kingdom to accept its responsibility for adolescents in France at the moment who have family on the other side of the Channel," he added. Last October, French authorities cleared a squalid camp near the Calais port on the Channel sea separating the countries which was filled with thousands of migrants hoping to reach Britain. The camp dwellers, many fleeing war in Sudan, Iraq or Afghanistan, were dispersed around France. Children with family in Britain were assured that authorities would help them travel to reach them. 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. |