RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN ON APRIL 3

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov will pay a visit to Yerevan on April 3-4. Ambassador of
Russia to Armenia Nikolay Pavlov reported this at the March 14 press
conference. He stated that the visit of Russian Foreign Minister is
timed for 15th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations
between RF and RA.

In N. Pavlov’s words, the relations between the two countries
develop dynamically in all spheres. In particular, in spite of
recent transport problems, volumes of bilateral trade grow. Thus,
in 2005 bilateral trade circulation amounted to 350 mln USD, while
in 2006 it increased reaching 426 mln USD, at that, without taking
into consideration supplies of Russian gas. The Ambassador also said
that Russian investments to Armenian economy also grow. He mentioned
the activities of Russian companies in Armenia – Gazprom, RAO EES,
Armenal, Vneshtorgbank of Russia and Vympelcom that has lately entered
into telecommunication market of Armenia.

At the same time, N. Pavlov mentioned some problems, in particular,
relaunching of five Armenian enterprises transferred to Russia for the
national debt of Armenia. He reported that this issue was considered
at a regular meeting of Co-chairs of Russian-Armenian Intergovernmental
Commission on Economic Cooperation held on March 5 in Moscow.

The RF Ambassador also mentioned bilateral cooperation in military and
military-technical spheres, within the framework of which Russia guards
borders of Armenia with Iran and Turkey, conducts training of Armenian
servicemen in Russian military higher education institutions and
supplies military-technical equipment to Armenia on preferential terms.