President Vahagn Khachaturyan received the RF Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov

Today, President Vahagn Khachaturyan received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and his delegation.

Welcoming the RF Minister of Foreign Affairs, President Vahagn Khachaturyan noted, “I am glad for the chance to meet you at the Residence of the President. You are always a welcome guest for Armenia and the Armenians. We always remember the support you provided during our tough times. I am sure that the Armenian people value your efforts. Today we live in peace thanks to your and the RF President Vladimir Putin’s efforts. My principle in life is that friendship, the friendly relations should be valued and cherished. Friendship with a neighbour, with a country, should be appreciated. And special value should be given to the centuries-long friendship with a country. I am sure that your visit, as well as the reciprocal visits of official delegations and individuals, will contribute to the development of our relations.

This year is special to us, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. The date of the ratification of this Treaty is special for me, as I had the honour to vote for its ratification as a member of the Parliament. It was in 1997. The Treaty had great importance for Armenia at the time, and we once again reaffirmed our intentions to have Russia as our future strategic partner. Once again, thank you for your visit. It’s a great honour for me to meet you and have the chance to discuss issues essential for both Armenia and Russia.”

The RF Minister of Foreign Affairs noted:

“We share your viewpoint and your wish to develop Armenian-Russian allied relations. Allied relations mostly refer to cooperation between states, but in our case, it’s the relations between people, the inseparable ties, which, as you have already mentioned, are centuries old. This is the best foundation of interstate relations.

Thank you for receiving us. It’s always a great honour for us to communicate with the leaders of Armenia, to exchange ideas on the implementation of agreements and contracts, from the big Treaty that you mentioned to the latest decisions that are approved by the states and ratified in our parliaments. They are numerous and involve all the areas and fields, such as economic, military, humanitarian, educational and advanced technology fields. The field of advanced technologies is close to you, and you made a significant contribution to the development of the field while occupying your previous position. And I am sure that in future, you will continue to contribute to the expansion of Armenian-Russian cooperation in this field. It is very important to us.

Generally, the issues are related to the complete agenda of bilateral relations and, surely, to the efforts put into the resolution of the conflict of Nagorno Karabakh, based on the agreement, reached between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia, and the Prime Minister of Armenia. There are three groups of agreements, which are maximally specific and aim at the complete settlement of the situation in the region. We know that it has a special significance for the Armenian people, as lifting the blockade from the transportation and economic connections is very important for your country, for the development of our trade and economic purely human relations. All that is very useful for our common South Caucasian "home".

Once again, thank you.”

The President of Armenia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia referred to the issues related to the Armenian-Russian allied relations agenda and its development, as well as the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the regional security.