PRESIDENTS MEET IN SOCHI

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
03 Sep 2008
Armenia

By the invitation of the RF President Dmitry Medvedev, President
Serge Sargsyan yesterday left for Sochi.

Welcoming the Armenian President, the Russian leader noted that the
meetings between the two countries’ Presidents are held at regular
intervals, "Last time we communicated with each other during your
visit to Moscow.

The visit was meaningful, and the dialogue continues at present."

The Russian President presented his considerations on the urgent
international issues and foreign policy. He pointed out that the
member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will
elaborate their attitudes with regard to the developments in South
Ossetia during the summit to be held in Moscow at the end of the week.

In his speech, President Serge Sargsyan particularly mentioned that
"the working meetings between the Armenian and Russian Presidents
in Sochi have become a good tradition. This is a good opportunity
for discussing issues concerning both bilateral and multilateral
cooperation in a peaceful atmosphere. Besides, Armenia is to take
over the CSTO chairmanship in a few days."

"Rubezh 2008" military trainings for headquarter commanders and the
session of the CSTO Defense Ministers were organized in Armenia quite
recently, and the session of the Secretaries of the Security Council
is to take place20tomorrow.

I would like to discuss economic issues, the questions concerning
the further strengthening and extension of our relationship within
the frameworks of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and of
course, the current situation in the South Caucasus. This is our first
meeting after the developments in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia.

I would like once again to express my condolences to a number of people
for the death of the Russian citizens and peacekeepers. I am sorry
that the events developed in this way, and I do want the aftermaths
of the humanitarian disaster to be eliminated speedily. By the way,
it is already two weeks that schoolchildren from South Ossetia are
expected to arrive in Armenia. We want to make all the possible
efforts for eliminating the aftermaths."

During the tête-a-tête, the Presidents of the two countries
expressed satisfaction with the high level of the mutual cooperation
and political dialogue between the two strategic allies -something
which derives from the interests of the two brother nations.

During their meeting, Presidents Serge Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev
touched upon the situation in the South Caucasus. Both parties
expressed conviction that the restoration of peace and stability in the
region derives from the interests of all the countries. The Presidents
emphasized that such development of events is an additional proof
that the military settlement of the conflicts in the South Caucasus
has no prospects, and it leads to unpredictable consequences.

Presidents Serge Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev also discussed issues
concerning the prospects of the bilateral and multilateral cooperation
in security and technical military spheres within the frameworks of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization. President Serge Sargsyan
pointed out that the Republic of Armenia, which is soon going to take
over the chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
desires to use that time period for the purpose of increasing the
effectiveness of the organization’s work still further.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed questions regarding
the process of the settlement of the Nagrno Karabakh conflict. Dmitry
Medvedev reiterated his attitude with regard to the settlement of the
conflict exclusively through negotiations and expressed his support
to the ongoing negotiation process within the frameworks of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

During their meeting, Presidents Serge Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev
also had a discussion over a broad framework of issues concerning
economic cooperation. The Presidents expressed satisfaction with the
volumes of the good circulation between the two countries and the
recent years’ growth of the Russian investments in the economy of
Armenia. During the meeting, the Presidents also discussed questions
concerning the prospects of the implementation of the joint regional
programs in the spheres of energy and transport.

The discussions between the two countries’ Presidents continued during
the lunch; thereafter, Serge Sargsyan returned to Armenia.

P.S. We believe it was not absolutely accidental that the meeting
between the Armenian and Russian Presidents took place on September 2,
the day of the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

PRESS SERVICE OF THE PRESIDENT

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