Russian, Armenian Presidents Adopt Joint Statement

ITAR-TASS
June 24 2008
Russia

RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS ADOPT JOINT STATEMENT

The presidents of Russia and Armenia have adopted a joint statement
as a result of talks held in the Kremlin on Tuesday. The document
covers a broad spectrum of problems in the Russo-Armenian relations.

Both presidents come out for reform of the United Nations and the
CIS. The two sides approve the necessary and rational reform of the
United Nations for purposes of raising its prestige and effectiveness
and strengthening its potential of giving rebuff to new challenges and
threats. Both countries will make maximum effort to improve the CIS for
purposes of achieving maximum effectiveness of the CIS with respect to
the interests of all its member-states, the sides said in the document.

The sides confirmed the significance of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) "as an important guarantor of ensuring security
of CSTO member-states and pledged to actively cooperate with each
other in fulfilment of the obligations envisaged by the Treaty."

In a separate clause of the joint statement the two sides declared that
they come out for the soonest resumption of the railway service and
other transport services in the Caucasus and are ready to make efforts
in this direction. The two sides declared that they would coordinate
their foreign political activities aimed at strengthening security,
stability and development of cooperation in the area of South Caucasus.

Russia and Armenia come out for the soonest settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means only on a just basis
acceptable to all the parties concerned and welcome constructive
efforts made by co- chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at
political-diplomatic settlement of the conflict, the joint statement
said.