RF PRESIDENT’S ADMINISTRATION IS SERIOUSLY RECONSIDERING ITS COURSE TOWARDS ARMENIA, RUSSIAN SCIENTIST SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Mar 30 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. “After the disintegration of the
USSR a considerable rupture of contacts between Armenia and Russia
took place, for instance, there is no scientific Russian book in
Armenia in the recent years,” professor Mikhail Meyer, Director of the
Institute of Asian and African Studies under Moscow State University
(MSU), declared at the March 30 meeting with representatives of media
organized by the “Development” fund of the Caucasian Institute of
Democracy. According to him, strategic partners Armenia and Russia
“have few contacts and do not know each other well enough”. In this
connection he reminded that he is in Armenia on the initiative of the
Russian President’s administration. “The RF President’s administration
is seriously reconsidering its course towards Armenia,” professor
Meyer declared. He said that specialists on Transcaucasus and Middle
Asia are already being prepared, as well as specialists on Armenology
are being trained in Russia. Mikhail Meyer pointed to the necessity
of further deepening and development of cultural, scientific and
educational contacts between the two countries. The Russian scientist
also dwelt on the most important issues of Armenian history. In
connection with the Russian-Turkish Treaty of Moscow signed in 1921
(Armenia was Sovietized in late 1920: NT) he declared that the reason
of concessions made by Russia to Turkey mainly at the expense of the
territory of Armenia was that at that time Armenia was “too devoted
to Great Britain, much more than Georgia and Azerbaijan”. The Russian
scientist also touched upon the position of Turkey in the issue of
the Armenian Genocide declaring: “Turkey suffers great moral loss
and the more this country persists in non-recognition of this fact,
the more difficult it will be for it”.