ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 26 2007

YEREVAN, MOSCOW MAYORS DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF BILATERAL
COOPERATION PROGRAM

YEREVAN, March 26. /ARKA/. Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharyan and Moscow
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov discussed the implementation of a program of
cooperation between the two capitals for 2003-2007.
The Public Relations Department, RA Municipality, reports that the
Yerevan Mayor pointed out that all the agreements reached until now
have been implemented, and the partnership is expanding not only
between the two countries, but also between their capitals.
Mayor Zakharyan expressed gratitude to his Moscow counterpart for
high-level organization of the Days of Yerevan as part of the Year of
Armenia in Russia.
He pointed out that Yerevan’s Avan community and Moscow’s Northern
administrative district, as well as Yerevan’s Center community and
Moscow’s Central administrative region, reached cooperation
agreements last year. Also, a number of urban development,
educational and cultural programs have been implemented. Under the
agreements, a Russian church was constructed in Yerevan, and an
Armenian one in Moscow.
"We are following the principles of strategic partnership, and
preconditions for expanding it are available," Zakharyan said.
In his turn, Mayor Luzhkov expressed his satisfaction with the work
carried out over the last four years. He pointed out that
Armenian-Russian trade and economic relations are expanding, evidence
thereof being the short-term construction of the Moscow Palace in
Yerevan and of the Yerevan Palace in Moscow.
"This will allow the two countries’ companies and individual
businessmen to discuss the prospects of importing new goods and
looking for new markets, as well as implement mutually advantageous
programs," Luzhkov said.
He stressed that the construction of a wholesale market of Armenian
goods is shortly to get under way in Moscow. "Armenian goods are
competitive in the Russian market, and, in case of a flexible price
policy, they can be of interest for businessmen residing in the
Moscow regions," Luzhkov said. P.T. -0–