Armenian Top Diplomat Says All Meetings With Russian Counterpart Sub

ARMENIAN TOP DIPLOMAT SAYS ALL MEETINGS WITH RUSSIAN COUNTERPART SUBSTANTIAL

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 23, 2014 Monday 05:14 PM GMT+4

YEREVAN June 23

– Every meeting between the Russian and Armenian foreign ministers
is of a regular, substantial and fruitful nature as both countries
maintain a permanent and intensive dialogue, the top Armenian diplomat
said on Monday.

“Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan and today’s meeting between us is
a good opportunity to discuss the implementation of the agreements
reached by the presidents of our countries at [Russian President]
Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Armenia last year on December
2 and in the course of their following meetings,” Armenian Foreign
Minister Edvard Nalbandyan said after the meeting on Monday with his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

“Each meeting between our presidents sets new targets for us for the
nearest as well as long-term perspectives,” he said.

Nalbandyan said he particularly discussed with Lavrov a set of
issues concerning “integration processes on the Eurasian arena,”
as well as issues on Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union,
which will become operational within the Customs Union of Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan from January 1, 2015.

The top Armenian diplomat said he also discussed with Lavrov the
issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

“We are grateful to Russia for its consecutive efforts in the role of
the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairman exclusively aimed at the peaceful
settlement of the issue,” Nalbandyan said adding that it was mostly
Russia, which mediated the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Karabakh,
the deal which was later joined by Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh sought independence from Azerbaijan at the end of
the 1980s, which resulted in a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that
claimed the lives of 25,000-30,000 people between 1988 and 1994. Since
then, the territory has been controlled by Armenia.

The OSCE Minsk Group, which comprises Russia, France and the United
States, acts as a mediator in the conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress