RUSSIA INTERESTED IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH ISSUE AND THE NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

armradio.am
14.01.2010 17:09

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Foreign Minister of
Russia, Sergey Lavrov. Greeting the guest, President Sargsyan noted:
"I should note with appreciation that our strategic partnership
was supplemented with qualitatively new elements in 2009, the high
level of intensive political dialogue was maintained, the economic,
cultural and humanitarian ties reinforced."

Noting that Armenia will continue making efforts towards deepening of
the bilateral cooperation, President Sargsyan said: "We are grateful
to Russia for the great efforts towards settlement of the Karabakh
issue and the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations."

Sergey Lavrov conveyed the warmest greetings of the Russian President
to Serzh Sargsyan and said: "He hopes that the intensive, allied
and trustful relations between our countries will be maintained
this year." "We also appreciate the level of strategic partnership
between our countries in all spheres of allied cooperation," Sergey
Lavrov said.

The Armenian President and the Russian Foreign Minister discussed the
dynamically developing Armenian-Russian relations, the deepening of
collaboration in the trade-economic and humanitarian spheres.

Serzh Sargsyan and Sergey Lavrov exchanged views on issues of the wider
Caucasus region, particularly the process of settlement of the Karabakh
issue and the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that during yesterday’s joint
press conference with the Turkish Prime Minister, the Head of
Russian Government Vladimir Putin once again presented the position
of official Moscow, emphasizing that the two processes are in no way
linked: it is difficult to solve each of these problems separately,
and if one tackles them in a single package, then prospects for their
settlement will automatically become very remote.

Sergey Lavrov underlined that Russia is interested in both the
normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and the settlement
of the Karabakh issue.