  French President welcomed political courage of Gul and SargsyanSeptember 8, 2008 - 16:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul's visit to neighboring Armenia as "courageous and historic". "While the region is in the midst of a serious crisis, (his visit) is a courageous and historic gesture for Turkish-Armenian relations," Sarkozy, who currently holds the European Unions rotating presidency, said in a statement "It allows hope for progress soon in establishing normal relations between Turkey and Armenia," he added. Gul made his landmark visit to Turkey's eastern neighbor - the first by a Turkish head of state to the ex-Soviet nation - for the first of two World Cup qualifiers between the two national teams. "We hope we will be able to demonstrate goodwill to solve the problems between our countries and not leave them to future generations," Armenian President Sargsyan said after the meeting with his Turkish counterpart. Sarkozy paid "tribute to the political courage of President Gul and President Sargsyan" and said he was hoping that reaching out will allow both countries to show the world that "reconciliation is possible through openness, dialogue and the respect of others," the AP reports.   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 |  Related sections Topic Latest news Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP  Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan.Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”.41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience.Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |
