KOCHARIAN SAYS ECONOMY AFFECTED BY GEORGIA-RUSSIA ROW

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan,
30 Sep 06

Yerevan, 30 September: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said in
Yerevan today that "any tension in Georgian-Russian relations always
tells on Armenia".

The Armenian president said this when answering a question from a
French journalist at a joint news conference with French President
Jacques Chirac.

"Our transport routes go through Georgia and any deterioration in
Georgian-Russian relations causes a decrease in our trade volume and
negatively affects our economy as a whole," Kocharyan said.

He expressed his hope that the tension in relations between Georgia
and Russia "will be eased quickly and through negotiations".

"I have said many times in Moscow and Tbilisi that Armenia, more
than any other country, is interested in friendly relations between
Georgia and Russia," Kocharyan said.