U.S. remains hopeful on Armenian-Turkish reconciliationApril 23, 2010 - 11:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States said Thursday it remains hopeful that Turkey and Armenia will move toward reconciliation. U.S. officials said they anticipated President Serzh Sargsyan's announcement that parliament will no longer consider ratifying the U.S.-backed deal, but they welcomed his decision not to fully withdraw from the peace process. "We are actually encouraged that, both in the case of Armenia and Turkey, they have taken pains to make sure the process doesn't collapse," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. "That gives us some reason for optimism that over the long term we can find ways to come back to it and try to push forward the protocols again," he said. Crowley said that the United States urged the two countries not to give up on reconciliation efforts on the sidelines of this month's nuclear summit in Washington. "Neither side has walked away from the process, but I think we all recognize that we'll just need some time to... create some new momentum that allows the process to move forward," Crowley said, AFP reported. On April 22, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on suspension of the process of ratification of Protocols signed by Armenia and Turkey in Zurich last October. Related links: 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |