RUSSIAN VICE-PREMIER VISITS ARMENIA, PRAISES TIES
By Shakeh Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 11 2007

Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov ended on Wednesday
a two-day visit to Armenia which officials said focused on growing
economic relations between the two nations.

Ivanov, who was Russia’s defense minister until recently and is
increasingly viewed as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s likely
successors, arrived in Yerevan just a week after Serzh Sarkisian’s
appointment as Armenia’s prime minister. The trip was construed by
local commentators as a further sign that Moscow supports his apparent
plans to succeed President Robert Kocharian next year.

"Serzh Azatovich Sarkisian and I have known each other for a long
time," Ivanov told a joint news conference with the Armenian premier.

"Since the last century, to be more precise … During all that time
we established not only good businesslike but also personal relations."

"Therefore, this visit, which is the first in our new civilian
capacity, does not create any problems," he said. "On the contrary,
the human capital which we the developed in the past few years is very
useful and allows us to discuss many issues in a straightforward and
frank manner."

Visiting Yerevan last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
effectively confirmed Russian media speculation that widely anticipated
handover of power from President Robert Kocharian to Sarkisian suits
the Kremlin. "The official position of Russia coincides with the
unofficial position of Russia," Lavrov said.

Official Armenian sources said Ivanov’s meetings with Kocharian and
Sarkisian were dominated by economic issues. According to the Armenian
president’s office, Ivanov and Kocharian praised growing bilateral
trade and Russian economic presence in Armenia.

Speaking at the news conference, Sarkisian stressed the fact that
the volume of Russian-Armenian trade almost doubled last year.

"Nonetheless, we think that the volume of our trade is still modest
and that we should achieve more," he said, adding that it will grow
faster after this week’s launch of a rail ferry service between
Russian and Georgian Black Sea ports.

The Armenian government’s press service said Sarkisian and Ivanov
discussed bilateral cooperation in the energy, transport and
military-technical sectors. But did not report any details. Both
Sarkisian and Kocharian were cited as raising with the visiting
vice-premier Russia’s failure so far to reactivate several Armenian
enterprises that were controversially handed over to Moscow in 2003
in payment of Yerevan’s $100 million debt.

The Armenian opposition has criticized the so-called
equities-for-debt deal and subsequent transfers of other Armenian
economic assets to state-run Russian firms, accusing the Kocharian
administration of jeopardizing the country’s sovereignty and economic
independence. Opposition leaders have also pounced on a senior Russian
official’s reference to Armenia as Russia’s "regional outpost."

"I believe that Armenia is our strategic partner," Ivanov said,
commenting on the remark made by Russian parliament speaker Boris
Gryzlov in 2005.

Sarkisian also downplayed the remark, saying that it has been
"misunderstood" by the media and exploited by his government’s
opponents for political aims.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress