KOCHARIAN MAKES ANOTHER TRIP TO MOSCOW
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Jan 17 2007
President Robert Kocharian arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on what
his office described as a one-day "private" visit, the second in less
than three months.
A one-sentence statement issued by the presidential press service
gave no details of the trip. Officials there could not be reached
for comment.
Russian sources told RFE/RL that Kocharian is due to meet Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin to discuss the political situation in Armenia
in the run-up to parliamentary elections due in May.
The outcome of the polls will be key to the political future of
Kocharian who intends to retain a pivotal role in government after
completing his second and final term in office in 2008. The Armenian
leader is thought to have sought the Kremlin’s backing throughout
his nine-year presidency.
Sources said Kocharian and Putin will also touch upon Russian-Armenian
economic ties and, in particular, the Kremlin-run Gazprom monopoly’s
growing involvement in Armenia’s energy sector.
Their previous talks held in Moscow in late October were followed by
the official confirmation of reports that Yerevan will raise Gazprom’s
share in Armenia’s natural gas distribution network from 45 percent
to 58 percent.
The Russian giant is also widely expected to gain a controlling stake
in a newly built pipeline from Iran as part of a controversial April
agreement that allowed Armenia to temporarily avoid a doubling of
the price of imported Russian gas in exchange for ceding more energy
assets to Moscow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
