ARMENIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT TO VISIT RUSSIA ON FIRST TRIP
Agence France Presse
March 20, 2008 Thursday
Armenian president-elect Serzh Sarkisian will make an official visit
to Russia on March 24, his first foreign trip since he was elected,
the Armenian government said on Thursday.
"Sarkisian will meet with the current Russian President (Vladimir)
Putin and the newly elected (Dmitry) Medvedev and also with Prime
Minister Viktor Zubkov," the Armenian government said in a statement.
Sarkisian will discuss cooperation with Russia, the statement said.
He was elected president on February 19 in a controversial election
that the opposition claimed was rigged. Foreign observers, however,
said the vote had by and large met international standards.
Eleven days of protest demonstrations by the opposition ended in
violence on March 1 when a 20-day state of emergency was imposed.
Eight people died in battles between riot police and demonstrators.
The state of emergency was set to be lifted on Friday.