Pakistan PM travels to Qatar to talk Afghan peaceFebruary 4, 2012 - 12:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Pakistan's prime minister will explain his country's stance on the issue of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban when he travels next week to Qatar to meet the Gulf state's leaders, a government spokesman said Saturday, February 4. Last month, the Afghan Taliban announced they would set up a political office in Qatar, a major development in a peace process that has already been marked by setbacks and mistrust among the central players. The trip by Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani on Monday comes amid unease in Kabul and Islamabad over the decision by the Taliban to open the Qatar office. Officials in both countries have said they fear they are being left out of the peace process. "Our prime minister will have discussions in this connection with the Qatar leadership," foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told a local television station. "He will also inform them that what is the Pakistani perspective in this situation." Pakistan is an important player in moves to end the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan because many of the leaders of the insurgency are said to be sheltering on its territory. The country's security forces are alleged to have links with the militants that could be useful in bringing them to the negotiating table. 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. |