Russia Year in Armenia – key event of Putin’s visit to Yerevan
By Mikhail Petrov

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — President Vladimir Putin believes the Russia
Year in Armenia is a most important event.

“It is extremely important from the point of view of our cooperation,
since it is not a one-time function, but a long-term undertaking,”
Putin noted on Friday during his negotiations with President Robert
Kocharyan.

“Our artists will visit Armenia throughout the year and I hope not
only Yerevan alone,” he added. In Putin’s opinion, the Russia Year
in Armenia will allow the sides to promote their relations not only
in the humanitarian domain, but in the political sphere, too.

“The holding of such functions with other countries has revealed
their very positive effect not only on humanitarian contacts, but has
also helped to lay a very good foundation for economic cooperation,
has created a favourable atmosphere for the development of political
relations. I hope very much that this will be so in the given case,
too, since our two countries are known to have amicable, longstanding
relations,” Putin stated.

Kocharyan noted, in turn, that the Russia Year in Armenia was a key
event of the Russian President’s visit to Yerevan. “I hope we shall
be able to replete this Year with Russia’s active participation so
that it would produce an indelible impression on our people. I also
hope very much that we shall be able to discuss the current state of
our bilateral relations during this visit,” he added.