Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, April 5

NATO continues to be the "cornerstone" of collective defense for the U.S. and Europe, U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday.

Obama made the remark after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House. (U.S.-NATO)

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ATHENS -- The dialogue between Greece's government and envoys of its international lenders as part of the first review of the third bailout program agreed upon last summer resumed here on Monday.

The talks on the next set of policies that Greece should introduce in exchange for further vital financial aid to exit the six-year debt crisis restarted amidst tensions between Athens and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The two exchanged strongly worded statements during the weekend. (Greece-IMF-Bailout Review)

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MOSCOW -- The Kremlin on Monday dismissed reports linking friends and relatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin to offshore deals worth billions of U.S. dollars.

"There are no details, all are based on allegations and speculation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, demanding "professional results of the work of the journalistic community." (Russia-Putin)

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MOSCOW/BAKU -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry expressed serious concern over the deteriorating situation in the disputed mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh and urged immediate cessation of hostilities on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The statement came at a time when deadly clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region have entered into a third day, despite international calls for a halt in the fighting over the disputed territory. (Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan) Endit