France

French President Hollande raises rights abuses with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at talks focused on its dispute with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh French President Francois Hollande on April 25 raised rights abuses with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at talks focused on its dispute with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh.

Government sources said that the negotiations with the Brussels Group are continuing as usual following the return of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras from Brussels.

Serbian president keeps close to Putin

YEREVAN -- Tomislav Nikolic was attending commemorations in Armenia on Friday, where he was photographed alongside Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on several occasions.

YEREVAN/BELGRADE - The Serbian people understands the tragedy of the Armenian people, as it experienced something similar itself, Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic said in Yerevan on Friday at a commemoration honoring the victims of the crime that claimed lives of around 1.5 million people in the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago.

BELGRADE - On April 26, Belgrade will host an event to remind people of the friendship between the Serbs and the French that goes back many centuries, featuring a parade through the city center and planting of lilacs at the Kalemegdan Fortress in honor of Helen of Anjou.

Turkey is not less courageous than other countries which have nuclear power plants, the country?s energy minister has said, as concerns lingered over the safety of Turkey?s first nuclear power plant, which is being constructed in the southern province of Mersin.

By Ian Wishart and Jeff Black

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was heavily criticized by his euro-area colleagues amid mounting frustration at his refusal to deliver measures to fix his country?s economy and release financial aid, according to three people familiar with the talks.

Turkey, which recently recalled two of its ambassadors after their host countries labeled the killings of Ottoman Armenians as ?genocide,? has signalled that it will not rush to take a similar measure against Russia and France.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President François Hollande, who have both named the killing of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during World War I "genocide," attended ceremonies at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex in Yerevan April 24 commemorating the tragedy in 1915.

By Ian Wishart and Rainer Buergin

Euro-area finance ministers voiced their frustration with Greece after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tried to bypass their veto on financial aid with an appeal to Angela Merkel.