A tearful goodbye has raised serious question about the freedom of the press in Turkey. On Tuesday, Turkey bid farewell to ۱۲ of its soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan last week. The funeral was a time for the nation to become united over the pain of losing its sons; however, a long-standing General Staff practice which refuses to give accreditation ...

A majority of Russians consider president designate Vladimir Putin’s lavish campaign promises trustworthy, reasonable and hope he will fulfill at least part of them, a poll held by Russia’s state-run pollster VTsIOM revealed. Putin's promises of higher wages and benefits for state workers were a key element in the campaign that won the ...

The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has extended Novruz Holiday greetings to the Azerbaijani people. The congratulation letter reads: “Dear compatriots! I cordially congratulate you on Novruz holiday! I wish you health, happiness and success. Novruz is one of the most favorite holidays of our people. Thanks to the inexhaustible spiritual ...

Baku. Viktoriya Dementyeva-APA. ‘I don’t think that the problem of our inability to reach a peace agreement has been the format of the Minsk Group or the format of the co-chairs. The problem is that these are very difficult questions. The differences between the sides are very great, and frankly, there’s a lack of trust. Changing ...

Member of British House of Lords, Baroness Emma Nicholson will head the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during the May ۶ parliamentary elections of Armenia, head of the Armenian delegation in PACE Davit Harutyunyan told Armenpress. "The delegation is comprised of ۳۰ members, ۵ of who will arrive in Armenia ...

Russia's foreign minister is hopeful a UN statement backing its envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria will be approved on Wednesday. "Russia is happy that the UN Security Council has reached a consensus to back Kofi Annan's proposals," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with his German and Polish counterparts in Berlin. "Our partners ...

The state audit agency, Chamber of Control, is in charge of monitoring party funding. Photo: Chamber of Control’s website. The ruling party, United National Movement (UNM), received total of GEL ۱.۷۶ million in donations last year, according to a financial declaration submitted to the state audit agency under the funding disclosure requirements ...

The negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is quite intense, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman from Russia Igor Popov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. "The basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, which should become the basis for the development of a future peace agreement, are being discussed,...

After the March ۱ events of ۲۰۰۸ the atmosphere of political dialogue and cooperation has restored in Armenia, Prime Minister of Armenia, Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan stated, Armenpress reports. "The task of our political team was to build bridges of cooperation, to restore the atmosphere after the March ۱ events....

Southern Iraq, especially oil-rich Basra province, is yet another battleground for Turkish-Iranian rivalry, which has mostly manifested itself in the form of a cutthroat race for trade deals and business contracts. With one major contrast in their approach, however. Iran fears that it has little chance of beating Turkish companies, which are by and ...

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) intends building a new oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan with a likely location in the country's Chuy province, the Kyrgyz Energy Ministry said on Monday.According to information, the Chuy province administration has offered four parcels of land for the construction of SOCAR's oil refinery with a capacity of two ...

Turkey will begin drilling for oil or gas off Turkish Cyprus towards the end of March, having carried out seismic studies, the head of state energy company Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) said yesterday.Greek Cyprus started exploring for gas south of the island in September 2011, angering Turkey.In reaction, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration ...

The U.S. Department of Defense should drop a $900 million contract with Russian arms sales company Rosoboronexport to supply helicopters to Afghanistan's forces, if Moscow continues to arm the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, 17 senators have said in a statement sent to Pentagon head Leon Panetta, the Foreign Policy Journal reports."...

First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva on Monday met with Turkish Foreign Minister's spouse Sare Davutoglu.Welcoming the guests at the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva stressed the importance of relations between the two sister countries.Sare Davutoglu stressed the importance of the Congress on theme ...

An Iranian official has asserted that Tehran fully supports the Syrian government amid widespread anti-regime protests, denying a recent claim by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu that Iran's support for President Bashar al-Assad's regime has been fading.Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated ...

YEREVAN, MARCH ۱۲, ARMENPRESS: Diaspora Minister of Armenia Hranush Hakobyan received March ۱۲ Chairman of the Armenian Union of Italy Payqar Svazlyan and advisor to diaspora minister in Milan's Armenian community Saro Khodaverdi, Diaspora Ministry informed Armenpress. The parties discussed the issues the Armenian community of Italy faces, referred ...

Azerbaijani delegation headed by Defence Minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev, met with Iran's Defence Minister Ahmed Wahidi in Tehran, Iranian Defense Ministry's official website said on Monday. The sides discussed at the meeting issues of military-technical cooperation and regional security. Iran's Defence Minister Ahmed Wahidi noted wide potential ...

YEREVAN, MARCH ۱۲, ARMENPRESS. President of France Nicolas Sarkozy stated at the pre-electoral campaign in Villepinte on March ۱۱ that he respects the memory of the massacred Armenians. Citing Nouvelles d'Armenie, Armenpress reports that in his speech President of France stated, "France is France when it struggles for the others. Today France ...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have stressed the necessity of stopping violence as soon as possible by all parties of the conflict in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday commenting on the results of a meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister and the UN Secretary General held in New ...

The state audit agency in charge of monitoring political finances has fined Cartu Bank, owned by billionaire opposition politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, with GEL ۸۲۲,۰۴۰ (about USD ۴۹۷,۰۰۰) for allegedly trying to channel corporate funding to Ivanishvili’s public movement Georgian Dream. Last week two employees of Cartu Bank said they received ...