YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and his delegation on June 9.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, welcoming the Russian FM, President Vahagn Kachaturyan said, “I'm glad for the opportunity to meet and welcome you at the Presidential Palace. You are always a welcomed guest for Armenia and the Armenian people. We know very well the role you played in difficult times for Armenia. I am sure that the people of Armenia appreciate your efforts. We live in peace today thanks to your efforts and the efforts of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. I am always guided by the principle that friendship should be valued and cherished. Friendship with a neighboring country should be valued, especially relations with a country with centuries-old ties. In this sense, of course, Russia is in the first place. I am convinced that the reciprocal visits contribute to the development of our relations.

This year is special for us, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. The date of this agreement is a bit special for me, as I had the honor to vote in favor of the ratification of this agreement as an MP. That was in 1997. That agreement was very important for Armenia at that time; we reaffirmed our intentions that our future strategic partnership should be with Russia. Thank you again for your visit. It is a great honor for me to meet you and to have the opportunity to discuss issues that are very important for both Armenia and Russia."

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said, “We share your view and desire to develop Russian-Armenian allied relations. Allied relations are mainly related to interstate cooperation, but we actually have human relations, ties that are inseparable, as you mentioned, they are centuries old. This is the best basis for interstate relations.

Thank you for the opportunity to receive us. It is always a great honor for us to communicate with the Armenian leadership, to exchange views on how the agreements are implemented, starting from the major agreement you mentioned, until the latest decisions approved by our states and ratified in our parliaments.

They are already numerous and, in fact, cover all spheres, including economic, military-technical, humanitarian, educational, high-tech spheres. The field of high technologies is close to you and in your previous position you have made a significant contribution to the development of this field and I am sure that you will continue to contribute to the expansion of Armenian-Russian cooperation in this field in the future. It is very important for us.

In general, the issues are related to the whole agenda of our bilateral relations, and of course, to the efforts that are being made today on the Nagorno Karabakh issue, based on the agreements reached by the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

There are three packages of agreements, which are maximally precise, aimed at the complete settlement of the situation in this region. We know that it is of special importance for the Armenian people, as the unblocking of transport and economic communications is of great importance for the development of your country, our trade and economic relations, as well as for purely human relations. All this is very useful for our common South Caucasian "home".

Thank you once again”.

The President of Armenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, touched upon the issues related to the development of the Armenian-Russian allied relations, the situation around Nagorno Karabakh, and regional security.