YEREVAN BACKS MOSCOW’S ROLE IN REGIONAL PEACE, COOPERATION EFFORTS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
October 3, 2008 Friday 3:49 PM MSK
Russia

The Armenian authorities express their support for Russia’s proactive
role in promoting peace and cooperation in the region, Armenian
Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian told a joint news conference with
his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"We have discussed the latest events in our region and the importance
of efforts aimed at ensuring regional stability and security.

We expressed our support for Russia’s proactive role in promoting
peace and cooperation in the region," Nalbandian said.

The Armenian minister said his meeting with Lavrov also paid due
attention to negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

"We once again reaffirmed our commitment to the soonest possible
settlement of the conflict through exclusively peaceful means and
within the framework of negotiations taking place on the basis of
proposals put forth by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group,"
Nalbandian said.

"I am convinced that this visit by the Russian foreign minister
to Armenia will make a sound contribution to the policy aimed at
comprehensively strengthening bilateral relations, including their
foreign policy component, that the governments of both Armenia and
Russia are pursuing," he said.