WPS Agency, Russia
What the Papers Say (Russia)
January 15, 2010 Friday

WITHOUT STAGNATION OR EARTHQUAKES

by Gajane Movsesjan

HIGHLIGHT: RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV VISITED YEREVAN,
ARMENIA; Foreign Minister Lavrov: Armenia is Russia’s strategic
partner and ally.

President of Armenia Serj Sargsjan received Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov, yesterday. Lavrov met with his Armenian opposite number
Edward Nalbandjan as well. The two ministers called the bilateral
relations quite cordial. Indeed, Armenia is the first country the
Russian foreign minister is visiting this year. "Armenia is our
strategic partner and ally," Lavrov said.

Nalbandjan in his turn praised Russia and its leadership for
"incessant efforts to facilitate Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution". He pointed out that the process continued at a steady and
quite intensive pace, considering that the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan had met on nine occasions in 2009. "There is no stagnation
in the process indeed," Lavrov agreed. He added that Russia was
promoting no objectives within the context of Karabakh conflict
resolution efforts save for that of finding a solution to the problem
that would suit the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lavrov said as
well that the opinion of Karabakh population had to be taken into
account in the work on the legally binding peace treaty. "Exactly how
it is to be taken into account will have to be discussed, of course,"
he said.

The hosts in the meantime thanked Russia for support of the Armenian
efforts to normalize relations with Turkey. "The sooner they are
normalized, the better," Lavrov said. He said that when Armenia and
Turkey were "ready", Russia would be happy to promote this
normalization through realization of infrastructural projects.

Lavrov denounced the assumption that his trip to Yerevan had anything
to do with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to
Moscow. "Matter of fact, the date of my visit here had been set over a
month ago and the Turkish premier expressed willingness to come to
Moscow just a few days ago. Believing that they are connected is like
believing that there is a connection with the recent earthquake."

Neither did official Moscow perceive any connection between Karabakh
conflict resolution efforts and the process of the Armenian-Turkish
normalization, Lavrov said.

Speaking of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on establishment of
diplomatic relations and normalization of bilateral relations,
Nalbandjan announced that procedures of parliamentary ratification in
Armenia were more complicated than in Turkey where the protocols had
been submitted to the parliament for ratification in October 2009. In
Armenia, ratification by the parliament is to be preceded by the
verdict of the Constitutional Court the documents are submitted to for
verification. The Armenian Constitutional Court verified the protocols
as legitimate earlier this week. "It ruled that the protocols comply
with the Constitution," Nalbandjan said. "That was a signal to
Turkey." The minister added that it was the Turks’ turn now and that
they should facilitate the proceedings.

WPS’2010

Source: Vremya Novostei, No 4, January 15, 2010, p. 5