RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 15 2004

STATE DUMA SPEAKER DISCUSSES ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 15, 2004 (RIA Novosti’s Gamlet Matevosyan) –
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Russian State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov, currently in Yerevan, discussed prospects of
development of Armenian-Russian relations.

Mr. Kocharyan expressed satisfaction with the improvement of the
structure of bilateral trade turnover in 2004, the Armenian
President’s press service said.

On his part, Mr. Gryzlov stressed that the high level of
Armenian-Russian relations would let us achieve much progress in the
future.

The sides pointed out the importance of the forthcoming session of
the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission for economic
cooperation in December 2004 in Moscow. This meeting is to focus on
the enterprises Russia purchased from Armenia in compliance with the
Property for Debt interstate agreement.

According to Boris Gryzlov, the modernization and full-fledged
functioning of one of these enterprises, the Mars plant, is a top
priority. Placement of Russian orders is currently under discussion.

Moreover, the sides considered the possibilities to develop transport
communications between Armenia and Russia. At issue were railway
communications and the Kavkaz ferry complex on the Russian bank of
the Kerch Strait which separates the Crimean peninsula and the
Russian Krasnodar territory.