Azeri President met with angry Armenian protesters in GreeceFebruary 19, 2009 - 17:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his delegation were met with angry Armenian protesters when they arrived at the Greek Chamber of Commerce for a meeting of Azeri and Greek business leaders, in the presence of Greek President Carlos Papoulias and Prime Minister Karamanlis.The Armenian community of Greece heeded the call from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Youth Organization and, in droves, gathered at the venue an hour before the scheduled meeting by the Azeri president. With Armenian tri-colors and the Karabakh flags waving, a large banner that read "Aliyev, Stop the Aggression. Nagorno Karabakh is Already Independent," the crowd chanted "Karabakh is Armenian," catching the Aliyev off guard as he exited his vehicle, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun youth union's Greek office told PanARMENIAN.Net The Armenian community of Greece, especially the youth, had gathered to raise their voices in unison against the visit of the Azeri president to Greece. Aliyev's Azeri security team was very aggressive toward the protesters and pushed the Azad Or editor and Armenian photographers back and stopped them, as representatives of the press, from entering the building. The Greek police also held back protesters, who refused to move from their positions. Soon thereafter, President Papoulias arrived and was greeted by cheers from the protesters, who stayed put until the conclusion of the conference and Aliyev's quick exit from the venue, where the protesters continued their protest slogans. During the meeting, Aliyev reiterated his anti-Armenian rhetoric, saying that "Armenia has invaded and is occupying Azeri lands." Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |