Russia did not support anybody in outside elections – Gryzlov
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
December 16, 2004 Thursday 3:04 AM Eastern Time

YEREVAN, December 16 — Russia has not officially supported anybody in
the elections in Ukraine, Abkhazia and Adzharia, Russian parliament’s
lower house Speaker Boris Gryzlov said.

He is on an official visit in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

If “Russian political technologists were used there” and “if they
have not secured victory, then it was only a bad commercial project,”
Gryzlov said.

He stressed that relations of Russia and Ukraine, which are “based
on century-old friendship of our peoples, on numerous agreements
and accords that have been signed within the framework of the CIS”
would remain unchanged.

Russia will work with an elected president of Ukraine, he said,
reiterating a statement to this effect by the Russian leadership.

Gryzlov, who is finishing his three-day visit to Armenia, met National
Assembly leader Artur Bagdasaryan on Thursday.

They have discussed bilateral political cooperation, in particular
inter-parliamentary contacts and interaction of parliamentarians in
international organisations and observer groups.