Georgia will not prevent Russia from joining WTOOctober 8, 2010 - 13:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgia's Prime Minister Nika Gilauri has said Tbilisi's demand for Russian forces to end their occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is not tied to how Georgia will vote on Moscow's application to join the World Trade Organization. In remarks at Washington, D.C.'s Atlantic Council, Gilauri said Georgia will continue to press for Russian troops to end their occupation of Georgian territory, but that it "has nothing to do" with the WTO vote. He said Georgia will support Moscow's bid if it makes customs checkpoints in the two breakaway regions transparent, as required under WTO rules. Gilauri is in Washington this week with a delegation of senior Georgian officials for a meeting of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission. He met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on October 6, RFE/RL reported. 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. |