Armenian, Azerbaijani Presidents back civil initiativeJuly 4, 2009 - 00:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the group of Armenian and Azeri intellectuals who paid a one-day visit to Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku on the initiative of Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Russia, Armen Smbatyan and Polad Bulbuloglu. "We live in a unique region which experiences serious problems that can be resolved through trust and cooperation," President Sargsyan said. For his part, Ambassador Bulbuloglu said that it's time to enable public diplomacy. Civil initiatives along with political dialogue can help establishment of communication and resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the intellectuals said. After the meeting, the delegations headed for Baku to meet with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 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 | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |