ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN LEADERS DISCUSS REGIONAL SITUATION IN SOCHI

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Sept 2 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 2 September: The Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh
Sargsyan and Dmitriy Medvedev, have discussed a wide range of
bilateral, regional and international issues.

At the meeting, the Russian president expressed his opinion about
international issues and foreign policy, the Armenian presidential
press service has reported. Medvedev pointed out that the Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member countries will elaborate
their positions on the South Ossetian developments at a forthcoming
CSTO summit in Moscow.

In turn, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that meetings
between the Armenian and Russian presidents in Sochi had became a
good tradition. He added that this created an opportunity to discuss
issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in a calm atmosphere.

"I would like to discuss economic issues and the issues concerning
the expansion and strengthening of our relations within the CSTO
framework. This is our first meeting after the developments in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia. I want once again to express condolences
on numerous human losses, the killing of Russian citizens and
peacekeepers. I deeply regret that the events developed in this way and
I wish that the results of the humanitarian catastrophe be eliminated
as soon as possible," the president said. He added that Armenia had
been waiting for schoolchildren from South Ossetia for two weeks.