Georgia accuses Russia of air space violationSeptember 8, 2011 - 17:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Three Russian Mi-8 helicopters intruded into the Georgian airspace and circled over a Georgian border police post for fifteen minutes on September 7, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said that three Russian "military helicopters" violated the Georgian airspace at 1:05am local time and flew 3 kilometers deep into the Georgian territory over Tanie gorge near Shatili, a village located on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus mountains close to the border with Chechnya. "This violation of Georgia's airspace represents a continuation of Russia's policy aimed at infringing on Georgia's statehood and independence. Such a blatant contravention of international law clearly aims at provoking the adequate response from the Georgian side, and intends to further escalate the security situation on the ground," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in the statement. "The Georgian side has acted responsibly and with restraint, as further deterioration of the security is not in the interests of Georgia and the wider region," it said and called on the international community to give "a proper assessment of the recent violation of the Georgian airspace by the Russian armed forces," Civil Georgia reported. A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Colonel Vladimir Drik, however, denied Georgian reports of airspace violation, according to RIA- Novosti. 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 | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |