EU urges Yerevan, Baku to find agreement on Karabakh before yearendJuly 7, 2011 - 14:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On July 6, European Parliament was embroiled in heated debates around the situation in Nagorno Karabakh. In her speech at European Parliament in Strasburg, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton characterized the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as a “key strategic interest of the European Union.” “The Deauville statement of Presidents Obama, Medvedev and Sarkozy made clear that the time had now come for an agreement, failing which the parties’ commitment to a solution would be questioned. Regrettably, despite strong messages at the highest level, the expected breakthrough at Kazan on 24 June did not materialize. President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Sargsyan of Armenia did not take this opportunity to reach a compromise,” Ms. Ashton noted, stressing that efforts to find an agreement on the Basic Principles must continue. “I welcome the fact that both parties have re-committed themselves to the diplomatic process and to finding a peaceful solution,” she said. “But we need to see more than that in the coming months. The parties need to redouble their efforts to find an agreement before the end of this year. This would then happen before domestic priorities take over in 2012: elections in Armenia in 2012, and in Azerbaijan in 2013,” EU High Representative said. 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 | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |