RIA Novosti
July 2, 2004
MOSCOW EXPECTING FOREIGN ARMENIAN MINISTER
MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan will pay an official visit to Russia on July 5 through 7, the
Information and Press department of the Russian Foreign Minister
reported Friday.
“The visit will take place in the context of Russia-Armenia political
dialogue, which is developing dynamically after high- and top-level
contacts of 2003-2004,” the Information and Press department said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes the visit will add momentum to
Russo-Armenian relations which have a solid legal base (the Agreement
on friendship, cooperation and mutual security dated December 29, 1991;
the Declaration on allied interaction with prospects for the 21st
century of September 26, 2000 as well as other 160 or more interstate,
intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements).
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said both Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanyan
“will focus on coordination of joint efforts aimed at improvement of
the situation in the Caucasus, settlement of ongoing conflicts as well
as at an atmosphere of confidence necessary for the future
all-Caucasian cooperation.”
“A special emphasis will be made on the issue of Nagorny Karabakh. We
believe the parties to the conflict are to find an acceptable
compromise,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.
“Russia is ready to contribute to the settlement of the issue of
Nagorny Karabakh and guarantee an agreement mutually acceptable for
both parties.”
“The Russian and the Armenian parties will consider the CIS
member-states’ interaction in the framework of the Collective Security
Treaty as well (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan are parties to the treaty) and in the context of EurAsEC
(the parties are the same except Armenia, which has the status of an
observer),” the Information and Press department pointed out.
“Boosting Russian-Armenian trade and economic, cultural and
humanitarian cooperation will be one of the priority issues at the
talks,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
The Information and Press department said the parties would discuss
fighting all manifestations of terrorism.