Urgent security challenges to be addressed at OSCE summit in AstanaNovember 30, 2010 - 18:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Heads of State and Government from the 56 OSCE participating States and 12 Partner countries are in Astana for the OSCE Summit, set to start December 1 in the Palace of Independence. As OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev emphasized, the OSCE Summit - the first since the Istanbul Summit in 1999 and the first ever to be held in Central Asia - offered a unique opportunity to address urgent security challenges including transnational threats such as terrorism and trafficking, and the recent unrest in Kyrgyzstan and the situation in Afghanistan. "The very fact that after an 11-year pause the Astana Summit was convened this year, when we mark important anniversaries of the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris, will help to strengthen the OSCE, and consolidate trust and mutual understanding between the participating States," he said. The Summit was preceded by a three-part Review Conference in Warsaw, Vienna and Astana with civil society and governments to assess the States' implementation of OSCE commitments, OSCE official website reported. 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 | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |