ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN SECURITY COUNCILS SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

ITAR-TASS
Dec 10 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, December 9 (Itar-Tass) — Secretary of the Russian Security
Council Nikolai Patrushev and Secretary of the Armenian National
Security Council Artur Bagdasarian met in Yerevan on Tuesday to sign
a cooperation plan for 2009.

Patrushev arrived in Yerevan for the participation in a meeting of the
Security Council secretaries of the member states of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

Bagdasarian assessed the agreement as a very important document, which
declared for the first time ever close relations between the Security
Councils of Russia and Armenia that had created strategic partnership.

The document envisages special events and consultations on security
in general, as well as on the transport and energy security and
military-technical cooperation, Bagdasarian said.

He is confident that the cooperation plan would make possible a more
efficient coordination of activities of the two countries, mapping
out special steps and plans, as well as laying a solid legal basis
for the targeted events.

Bagdasarian is confident the planned steps will give a fresh impetus
to the fruitful cooperation between the two Security Councils in the
defence and security spheres.

Patrushev, in turn, said: "Russia and Armenia are strategic
partners. They coordinate many issues in the security sphere, which
they have to resolve."

In his words, "the agreement makes systemic the Russian-Armenian
partnership in the sphere of national security."

"We have already mapped out events, which will be implemented in 2009,"
he said, adding that the agreement envisages activities of the two
Security Councils, which "make us sure that we will work out a joint
position pertaining to all problems."