Yesterday the RA Prime Minister, president-elect Serzh Sargsyan, who had paid a one-day working visit to Russia, held various meetings in Moscow, after which he returned to Armenia late in the evening.
Sargsyan held his first meeting with the Russian newly-elect President Dmitri Medvedev, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov and President Vladimir Putin and other high-rank officials. However, let’s go one by one. During the meeting with Luzhkov the latter said that he is very happy to receive Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow and congratulated him on being elected as president of Armenia, noting that Armenian-Russian relations are developing in the spirit of strategic partnership. During the meeting the newly-elect Armenian president gave an outline of post-electoral and inner-political developments taking place in Armenia. Referring to the dynamic development of trade-economic ties, Yuri Luzhkov noted that trade-economic figures between the two countries have notably increased during the year which is not only the result of bilateral efforts but also the result of the work of Moscow House established in Yerevan. Speaking about the development of trade-economic ties between Armenia and Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov presented the current state of Moscow economy and coming development programs. During the meeting Yuri Luzhkov referred to the further development of spiritual-cultural ties between the two countries, underscoring the speed-up construction of the Armenian church built in Moscow. Serzh Sargsian said that he has already visited the complex and got acquainted with the pace of construction and expressed hope that in the coming year the construction will be completely finished. After the meeting with Yuri Luzhkov, Serzh Sargsian met with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. He thanked V. Putin for invitation and congratulated on the successful conduction of elections, expressing hope that after newly-elect Dmitri Medvedev assumes his duty Armenian-Russian relations will continue developing dynamically. As a newly-elected president Serzh Sargsian assured that hence Armenia will also conduct policy of developing and consolidating relations with Russia. During the meeting the interlocutors also referred to the post-electoral developments which were taking place in Armenia. The sides also discussed Armenian-Russian political, military-technical and other issues. They also referred to the Karabakh conflict regulation process. In this respect, Putin said that it is necessary to continue the conflict regulation process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The RA President-elect introduced our country’s internal political situation and underscored that the Armenian authorities are determined in doing their best towards the establishment of bilateral stability, the consolidation of society and the formation of an atmosphere of tolerance. During the meeting, the parties discussed a broad framework of issues concerning the Armenian-Russian relations in political, military-economic and other spheres. They also touched upon the process of the NK conflict settlement. Vladimir Putin mentioned that it was necessary to proceed with the conflict settlement process within the frameworks of the Minsk Group. Putin expressed hope that the Armenian government will be able to overcome the current internal political crisis in the country. “I know that political processes in Armenia are complicated,” Putin told Sargsyan at the start of their talks in the Kremlin. “But we very much hope that no matter how the internal political process in Armenia unfolds, what has been built in the past years in relations between the Russian Federation and Armenia will be maintained and will develop in the future,” said Putin by congratulating Sargsyan on the victory in the presidential elections. “We know that Dmitry Medvedev is your supporter and in Armenia we are hopeful that during his presidency our relations will keep developing because we need tighter relations,” mentioned Sargsyan. Afterward Sargsyan had a meeting with Russia’s President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, First Assistant to the Head of the Russian Government. Mentioning that this was Sargsyan’s first visit to the Russian Federation in the status of President, D. Medvedev expressed hope that under the leadership of the newly elected Armenian President, they will continue the Armenian-Russian relations which were set on firm grounds during the recent years, and the two countries will be able to start a full and broad cooperation in most different spheres to the benefit of Russia and Armenia and the peoples of both countries. There was a discussion over regional issues as well as the two countries’ cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, OSCE and other organizations. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the current level of the Armenian-Russian relations. Sargsyan also had a meeting with the Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. Zubkov also congratulated Sargsyan on the successful presidential run and expressed his confidence that Sargsyan’s experience and skills will enable him to efficiently solve the issues and challenges of the country and in this regard he wished him good luck and success. “No doubt that we wish that our friend Armenia becomes more developed and it can always rely on the support of Armenia,” said Zubkov.
P.S. “The intensiveness of communication and productivity evidently confirm the interest of the Armenian and Russian sides to provide the continuity of the development of Russian-Armenian ties,” a high-rank Kremlin source told the Itar-Tass about these meetings.