RF State Duma calls on President and government to address Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognitionMarch 22, 2008 - 13:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On March 21, Russian State Duma adopted a statement calling on the President and government to address recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence. The Duma members offer "to speed up the process of the republics' sovereignty up to recognition of their independence in compliance with the expression of popular will." "Russia should take action to protect its citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in case of Georgia's violence or accession to NATO," the document says. The State Duma also proposes to strengthen peacekeeping potential in the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zones. South Ossetia's representative to Russia, Dmitry Medoyev said this decision inspires hope and testifies the start of recognition process. For his part, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia's independence "would be a blunder" "The U.S. supports territorial integrity of Georgia and stands for a peaceful resolution of the conflicts," he said, Russkaya Liniya reports. 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 | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |