IN HIS TALK TO D. MEDVEDEV S. SARGSYAN REITERATES READINESS TO LOOK FOR SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM ON BASIS OF MADRID PRINCIPLES

Noyan Tapan
Oct 21, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Russia will continue making a
contribution to finding a mutually acceptable solution to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, RF President Dmitry Medvedev stated at the October
21 joint press conference expressing satisfaction with the results
of his official visit to Armenia.

His meeting with the RA President, according to him, continued the
good tradition of high-level eventful meetings, confirmed the allied
nature of bilateral relations. The RF President expressed satisfaction
that Russia is the leader among Armenia’s economic partners: according
to the data of eight months, commodity circulation between the two
countries has increased, and the current year will end with rather
successful indices.

Among the primary directions of cooperation between the two countries
D. Medvedev mentioned spheres of fuel and energy, industry, transport,
banking, information technologies, in the future there is also an
intention to develop industrial cooperation between the two countries,
to promote mutual investments, to expand interregional contacts. The
RF President highly evaluated the work of the Armenian-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, which, according
to him, has done "efficient, full-value, and large work."

According to the RF President, Armenian-Russian humanitarian contacts
also become strong: the two countries work in this sphere within the
framework of projects of CIS Council of Humanitarian Cooperation,
Interstate Foundation of Humanitarian Cooperation: "Armenia is one
of our closest and most active partners," the RF President said.

In the tete-a-tete talk with Serzh Sargsyan the two countries’
Presidents also discussed the international agenda, in particular,
cooperation within the framework of CIS, Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO). "We are ready for a deeper cooperation with
Armenia," the RF President said. The two Presidents, as D. Medvedev
classed it, also spoke about the situation formed in the Trans-Caucasus
"after Georgia’s aggression in South Ossetia:" "The two countries
consistently support the positions of strengthening peace and stability
in the region. All issues should be solved exclusively by peace and on
the basis of norms of the international law," the RF President stated.

RA President Serzh Sargsyan, in his turn, characterized the
strategic and allied relations between the two countries as
dynamically developing, the firm basis of which is the Agreement on
Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. The RA President
attached importance to the fact that the activity of political
dialogue constantly grows, both sides expressed readiness to continue
exerting efforts in the direction of coordinating the foreign political
activity. Readiness was expressed to promote raising of efficiency of
trade and economic cooperation. The RA President expressed satisfaction
with the fact that most of the agreements reached before have been
already fulfilled, including the agreement on import of energy carriers
to Armenia, which will give a possibility to provide further stable
growth of Armenia’s economy. The two states are also no less interested
in cooperation of economic entities and regions.

The pivotal issues of international politics, including ensuring
global regional stability, prospects of joint cooperation to resist new
challenges and threats were also duscussed during the two Presidents’
private talk. The RA President said that Armenia attaches much
importance to development of cooperation within the frameworkm of
CSTO, CIS, and other international structures, the two countries’
common interest to use the possibilities of these institutions more
efficiently by developing new ways of cooperation.

"We are going to continue joint work in the direction of strengthening
security, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus," the
RA President said. He emphasized that Armenia positively estimates
Russia’s mediation mission within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group
in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, where the latter in cooperation
with the U.S. and French Co-chairs assists the process of Nagorno
Karabakh peaceful settlement. Armenia reiterated its readiness to
look for ways of solution on the basis of Madrid principles.

Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, bilateral contacts in
the spheres of science, culture, education, youth are also very
important. According to the RA President, the activity of the
Russian-Armenian Slavonic University and Kultura TV channel’s
broadcasting are a specially successful examples in this sphere. The
two Presidents’ tete-a-tete talk "as always proceeded in the spirit
of friendship and mutual understanding and was very meaningful,
practically all aspects of bilateral relations were touched upon,"
the RA President said.

In the issue of deepening bilateral cooperation, including cooperation
at the regional level the two Presidents attached importance to the
documents signed in Yerevan, On Cooperation between the Republic
of Armenia Government and Russian Federation Sverdlovsk Region in
Trade and Economic, Scientific-Technical, and Cultural Spheres, On
Cooperation between Republic of Armenia Armavir Regional Administration
and Russian Federation Yaroslav Regional Government in Trade and
Economic, Scientific-Technical, and Cultural Spheres, the Program
of Interdepartmentanl Consultations between the Republic of Armenia
Foreign Ministry and Russian Federation Foreign Ministry in 2009-2010.