ARMENIA-RUSSIA
Armen Tsatouryan

Hayots Ashkharh, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

Mutual Cooperation Continues

Serge Sargsyan’s official visit to Moscow evidenced the irrevocability
and the succession of the process of strengthening the strategic
partnership and extending the trade-economic relations between the
Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation.

The main peculiarity of the visit was that the Governments in both
countries have changed, such change having taken place in Armenia a few
months ago and in Russia – quite recently. And in half a years’ time,
i.e. at the beginning of 2008, there will be presidential elections
in both Armenia and Russia. In the meantime, the governments of
both countries are viewed as the legal successors of the authorities
in power.

The qualitative changes in the mutual cooperation have predetermined
the necessity of continuing and extending the alliance between Armenia
and Russia.

Being the only military and political ally of Russia in our region,
Armenia has also become a serious economic partner. As evidenced by
the last 6 months’ 70 per cent growth of bilateral good circulation
and the significantly increased volume of the investment of the
Russian capital in Armenia as well as the economic component of the
Armenian-Russian cooperation is steadily approaching the high level
characteristic of political cooperation.

And the maintenance and further acceleration of such high paces
naturally demand ensuring relevant political guarantees in terms of
maintaining the positive potential of bilateral cooperation.

As shown by Prime Minister Serge Sargysan’s official visit to the
Russian Federation and the meeting with his counterpart as well as with
other officials of that country, the Governments of Armenia and Russia
are determined in maintaining the achievements of their predecessors.

The Armenian Prime Minister arrived in Moscow not only with the
purpose of summing up the accomplishments with his counterpart,
but also submitting a package aimed at deepening the bilateral
cooperation and advancing bold proposals. They concerned the complex
and comprehensive problems of nuclear energy and, in that connection
– the issues of exploiting the uranium mines of Armenia, building an
oil refinery in the neighborhood of the border with Iran, operating
the production capacities acquired in Armenia by the Russian side
and increasing the communication potentials of export.

Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov had a particularly enthusiastic
attitude to the proposal of involving Armenia’s construction potentials
in the preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. This will enable our
country to operate new capacities for the production of construction
materials.

The parties are convinced that the implementation of all the programs
may, in the near future, increase Russia’s direct investment, which
has already assumed large volumes and contribute to the progress of the
main industries in Armenia. Through operating large capacities in the
sphere of nuclear energy and oil industry, Armenia will supplement
the fuel-energy complex necessary for the further development of
its economy and get chances to export energy in large volumes to
the neighboring countries. In conditions of the existence of such a
complex, no economic blockade can impede our country’s development,
because Armenia will not only have gas in sufficient quantities,
but also electric energy and oil.

We believe Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan’s first official visit
to Russia was unprecedented both in terms of the number of the
meetings held and their contents as well as the abundance of the
issues discussed and the agreements achieved. It showed that the new
Government of Armenia and Russia and their leaders, who shoulder the
responsibility of extending mutual cooperation, will not only maintain
but also extend the rich traditions of the cooperation between the
Armenian and Russian peoples.