ARMENIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT MEETS RUSSIA’S PUTIN, MEDVEDEV

Rossiya TV
March 24 2008
Russia

[Presenter] Armenian president-elect Serzh Sarkisyan has arrived
to Moscow. Among the topics for the talks with Russian authorities
are security in Transcaucasia and economic cooperation, including
in energy sphere. This is Sarkisyan’s first foreign trip after the
presidential election on 19 February. Vladimir Putin met the Armenian
politician and congratulated him on being elected the president.

[Putin] First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the election
results. I know the political processes in Armenia are not going
smooth. But we really hope that whichever the internal political
situation develops in Armenia, everything that has been achieved in
the bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and Armenia
over the recent years will be preserved and will develop in future.

[Sarkisyan] We have never experienced such a clear approach before.

Thank you for that. In my turn, I would also like to congratulate
you on holding a successful presidential campaign. We know Dmitriy
Medvedev as your associate, and Armenia hopes that after he takes
over the [presidential] post our relations will continue to develop.

[Presenter] Serzh Sarkisyan also met Russian president-elect Dmitriy
Medvedev. Both politicians hope that Russian-Armenian relation,
that are on quite a high level already, will continue to develop.

[Medvedev] This is your first visit after the [election] campaign, and
of course we view it as a special symbol, a symbol of the importance
of Russian-Armenian ties. We hope that under your authority we will be
able to continue the relations formed in the recent years and the high
level of cooperation that links the Russian Federation and Armenia. We
will be able to work effectively for the sake of our peoples.