Interfax, Russia
Jan 14 2010

ARMENIA TO DEEPEN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA – PRESIDENT SARGSYAN

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has promised to do his best for
deepening relations with Moscow."I am pleased to say that new elements
emerged in our strategic partnership in 2009. We reserved a high level
of the intensive political dialog and strengthened economic, cultural
and humanitarian relations.

Armenia will continue to deepen relations with Russia," Sargsyan told
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

Lavrov conveyed greetings from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a
source at the Armenian presidential press office told Interfax.

"Medvedev hopes that the intensive and frank dialog, which progressed
last year, will continue to develop this year," Lavrov said.

"We value the level of the bilateral strategic partnership and the
allied relations in all spheres," he said.

Sargsyan and Lavrov stressed the importance of further strengthening
of bilateral agreements and said that new documents would create
additional possibilities for cooperation and strengthen contacts.

Sargsyan and Lavrov discussed the South Caucasian situation, including
the Karabakh settlement and the Armenian-Turkish normalization, a
source at the Armenian presidential press office told Interfax.

Sargsyan thanked Russia for assisting the Karabakh settlement and the
Armenian- Turkish normalization. "We are grateful to Russia for its
support to the Karabakh settlement and normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations," he said.

"Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once again reaffirmed the
Russian position at the January 13 press conference he shared with the
Turkish premier, the Russian foreign minister said. Putin stressed
that the two processes [the Karabakh settlement and the Armenia-Turkey
normalization] were not interrelated. He said the resolution of both
problems was rather difficult, and it would be wrong to link them,"
the press office source said.

Russia is interested in the solution of the Karabakh problem and the
normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, Lavrov stressed. Armenia
and Azerbaijan can make progress in the Karabakh settlement if
‘positive dynamics’ persists, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandian told a Thursday press conference.

"If positive dynamics are retained, the sides may progress in the
Karabakh settlement. The Armenian and Azeri leaders will soon resume
their meetings," he said.

There is no alterative to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, the minister said.

"Armenia has never threatened to resolve the conflict by force. It
adherences to exclusively peaceful settlement methods," he said.