Putin, Kocharian to mull joint projects, CIS problems, situation in Caucasus

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
January 23, 2007 Tuesday

President Vladimir Putin will play host to his Armenian counterpart
Robert Kocharian at his Bocharov Ruchei residence near Sochi on
Wednesday.

Top Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko told Interfax that the two
presidents will pay special attention to the fulfillment of top-level
understandings primarily in the fuel, energy and transport sectors.

He said the implementation of the projects should promote further
growth of trade (in 2006 it grew by over $200 million to about $500
million against 2005) and investment cooperation.

According to the Russian side, accumulated Russian investment in
Armenia amounts to $800 million, with the main investors being Gazprom
(RTS: GAZP), VimpelCom (RTS: VIMP) and RUSAL. Major projects are also
being carried out along the lines of Russian Railways.

Putin and Kocharian are also expected to pay much attention to the
CIS agenda. They will discuss the informal meeting of the CIS Council
of Heads of State due on June 10, simultaneously with the 11th St.

Petersburg international economic forum.

Prikhodko said that the sides will also speak of coordinating efforts
to improve the situation in the Caucasus, create an atmosphere of
confidence there and settle conflicts on that basis.

They will mull the problem of Nagorno Karabakh in this context,
Prikhodko said. Russia "welcomes the continuation of the Armenian-
Azerbaijani dialogue at different levels, primarily between the
presidents of the two countries," he said.

Last year Kocharian visited Russia three times. Putin was in Armenia
last in March 2005.