German Interior Minister: our value system is Christian and occidentalMarch 31, 2011 - 12:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Newly appointed German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told the gathering of Muslim leaders in Berlin that he wants to "work together on preventing radicalization and extremism." The minister was under pressure to repair ties with Germany's Muslim population, following comments made on his first day in office. He said in early March that, historically, Islam was not a part of German society. Before the meeting, Friedrich defended his earlier statements telling public broadcaster ARD: "The character of our country, our culture through the centuries, our value system is Christian and occidental," Deutsche Welle quoted him as saying. Earlier, Germany's new interior minister has said Islam does not "belong" in the country, reopening a bitter debate over the integration of Germany's 4 million Muslims. 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. |