RUSSIA, ARMENIA PRESIDENTS-ELECT MEET IN KREMLIN

ITAR-TASS
March 24 2008
Russia

MOSCOW, March 24 (Itar-Tass) – The Russian and Armenian
presidents-elect, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sarkisyan, met in the
Kremlin on Monday.

This is the first foreign visit of Sarkisyan after his winning the
presidential election.

The inauguration of the Armenian president will be held on April 9.

Medvedev will be sworn in on May 7.

Topics of Sarkisyan’s visit to Moscow will be world and regional
problems in the context of Armenia’s future presidency of the
Collective Security Treaty Organisation, security in the Trancaucasus,
economic investment and energy cooperation.

He will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister
Viktor Zubkov.

"The intensity and fruitfulness of contacts illustratively confirm
interest of the Russian and Armenian sides in ensuring the continuity
of the policy of further development of mutually beneficial partnership
of Moscow and Yerevan," a high-ranking source in the Kremlin told
ITAR-TASS.

"It is planned to discuss during the talks important issues of the
international agenda, projects of further deepening the interaction
in regional integration organisations, including with consideration
for the future presidency of Armenia in the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation," the Kremlin’s source said.

"The high level of cooperation with Armenia in both the multilateral
and bilateral formats in the military-technical and border
spheres plays a noticeable role in stability and security in the
Transcaucasus," he stressed.

The Kremlin states that the "task of approaching in the nearest time
the trade figure of one billion dollars is becoming realistic".

"The accumulated amount of Russian investment in Armenia’s national
economy also has approached the important frontier of one billion
dollars in 2007," the Kremlin’s ranking source said.

"Russian investors are actively opening up the sectors of the
Armenian economy – banking, telecommunications, transport ones, and
major projects in the fuel and energy sectors are being implemented,
including the modernisation and completion of the construction of the
Razdanskaya heat and energy station and the laying of a gas pipeline
linking Armenians with Iran. Leading Russian companies – Gazprom,
UES of Russia, Russian Railways, Vneshtorbank, Gazprombank, Russian
Aluminum and Vympelkom are successfully operating on the republic’s
market, and ALROSA, LUKOIL and AFK Sistema have promising projects,"
he said.

Moscow and Yerevan draw importance to expansion of interaction in the
nuclear power sector, including the safe use of Armayanskaya nuclear
power plant, geological exploration and large-scale development of
uranium fields.

"Russian organisations provide for Armenia’s needs in fresh nuclear
fuel in full. Procedures of Yerevan’s joining the activity of the
International Uranium Enrichment Centre in Angarsk are at a final
stage," the Kremlin’s expert said.

Moscow also sees positive changes in solving the problem of Armenia’s
external transport links.

"New possibilities are opening with the establishment of rhythmical
work of the railroad ferry link port Caucasus – port Poti, and with
the coming of Armenian railroads under concession management of
Russian Railways," the Kremlin’s source said.