Lebanon crisis poses new threats to Armenian communityNovember 10, 2017 - 10:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran contain new dangers for the Armenian community of Lebanon and Christians living in the Western Asian country in general. The United States, in turn, is calling for a de-escalation of tensions, following the resignation of Saad al-Hariri as Lebanon's prime minister while in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. State Department said it was "monitoring the situation very closely." State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Thursday, November 9: "We would call for no kind of escalation of any sort of threats or something in that arena. But we also recognize that a government has the right to communicate with its own citizens." In a conversation with the Voice of America, mother Olga - the daughter of an Armenian mother and an Assyrian father - said that the Christian community of the Middle East has always suffered because of clashes of different forces. According to her, Christians suffered when the Iraqi Kurdistan declared independence and started their revolt against the government. She says that clashes against the Islamic State and other militant group lead to the destruction of Christian communities of the region. 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 | 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. |