RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN TO FLY TO YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 23. /ARKA/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will fly
to Yerevan Thursday evening to attend events dedicated to the centenary
of Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 1916, TASS reports.

Before departure Putin is set to meet with Russia’s Security Council
members and to have a phone talk with his Finnish counterpart Sauli
Niinisto. According to Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, the two
countries’ leaders will first of all discuss Russia-Finland relations
and probably Russia-EU relations, including the exchange of economic
sanctions.

Speaking about Putin’s visit to Yerevan, his assistant Yuri Ushakov
said that Russians attach great importance to the 100th anniversary
of the tragic events in Ottoman Empire, understand the significance
of the centenary for friendly Armenia, Armenian communities worldwide,
including about 3 million Armenians who live in Russia.

He said that more than 1.5 million of Armenians were killed in Turkey
in 2015 and 2016, over 600,000 people were expelled to Mesopotamia’s
desert and other 300,000 found shelter in Russia.

He said victims of the genocide are commemorated every year on
April 24.

On April 24, Turkey will mark the centenary of Canakkale Battle,
and Russian State Duma Speaker Sergey Narishkin will attend that event.

Ushakov said that the Turkish president is well-informed about Putin’s
intention to be in Armenia on April 24.

The Russian president will visit the memorial of the genocide victims
and will speak at the commemoration ceremony.

He will also talk to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and French
President Francois Hollande. —0—-