Investm cooper vital for boosting Russia-Armenia relations-Putin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin believes
investment cooperation is a serious asset for the development of
Russian-Armenian relations.

“Regional and investment cooperation is an important asset,” the
Russian head of state said at a press conference after talks with
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on Friday.

“The stable political situation and economic growth in Armenia is an
important prerequisite for expanding cooperation,” Putin believes.

“Speaking about Russian investments, they are growing and there are
considerable prospects here,” the Russian president said.

“On our part we’ll welcome Armenian investments in Russia,” Putin
stated.

Russia to promote Karabakh conflict settlement – Putin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the
situation in Nagorno Karabakh during the talks with his Armenian
counterpart Robert Kocharyan on Friday.

“We talked about the Nagorno Karabakh problem,” Putin told a news
conference.

“We will promote the settlement of this conflict,” he emphasized. “We
will hope for the soonest meeting of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan,” Putin pointed out.

Vladimir Putin arrived on a visit in Yerevan
by Kira Latukhina

RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
March 25, 2005 Friday

SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 58, p.4

The Russian President Vladimir Putin began yesterday a visit to the
capital of Armenia, Yerevan. The two-day visit is officially devoted
to the opening of the Year of Russia in Armenia. Nezavisimaya Gazeta
writes that the visit’s aim is actually to demonstrate – among the
former Soviet republics still exist such that haven’t fallen under
the influence of the West.

Despite the existence of certain difficulties in Russian-Armenian
relations, Yerevan remains one of the Moscow’s closest allies in the
former Soviet Union.

According to the paper, Vladimir Putin and his Armenian counterpart
Robert Kocharyan have enough to discuss during the talks that will
take place today. Apart from economic cooperation and expansion of
cultural contacts there are issues of reforming the CIS and the recent
crucial changes in the political landscape of numerous post-Soviet
states. Armenia, in turn, is concerned with certain priorities of
the Moscow’s foreign policy (namely, close cooperation with Turkey)
and believes that Russia must demonstrate its interest in Armenia’s
affairs more clearly.

Also, it is expected that after the talks with Kocharyan the Russian
President will finally make an official statement on the recent events
in Kyrgyzstan and comment on his yesterday’s meeting with the Russia’s
top businessmen.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Putin, Kocharyan attend opening ceremony of Year of Russia

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan have arrived at the State Opera and Ballet
theatre on Friday to attend a ceremony of opening the Year of Russia
in Armenia.

The Russian festival that will be held on a large scale in Armenia will
give a powerful impetus to the development of cultural contacts between
Russia and Armenia, a Russian source in Yerevan told Tass on Friday.

The Russian festival is an important stage for the realization of
the Russo- Armenian Declaration on cooperation in 2003-2005 and a
Protocol of Intent in the field of culture, it said.

“Russia invariably attaches great importance to strengthening
of friendly contacts with Armenia – its reliable and strategic
partner,” President Putin said in a message addressed to his Armenian
counterpart on the eve of the festival. “I am confident that the Year
of Russia in Armenia will promote further rapprochement of the two
countries, development of friendship and a direct dialogue between our
people. Events devoted to the 60th anniversary of victory in World War
II are of particular importance in the program of the festival. That is
a tribute paid to the exploit and heroism of all those who shoulder-to
shoulder fought against fascism,” Putin said in the message.

For his part, Robert Kochyaran said in his message to the Russian
president that “the festival “The Year of Russia in Armenia” that
coincides with the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of victory
over fascism is of symbolic significance. This heroic page in our
common history linked the fates of our people and brought them closer
together.”

Putin hopes Kavkaz-Poti ferry link to promote business in region

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes the ferry
crossing line between the Russian port Kavkaz and Georgian Poti port
opened one of these days will promote more active business development
in the region.

“During the talks we dwelt on transport infrastructure issues,” Putin
said at a press conference with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
on Friday.

The Russian head of state said about the launch of the ferry crossing
line. “Hope this line will work for the benefit of all countries of
the region,” Putin said.

According to him, “It’s an important step in the right direction and
it will serve the business development and help create new jobs.”

Kocharyan said for his part the beginning of the ferry service ‘means
the beginning of the solution of a very serious transport problem
that has been restraining our cooperation.”

“I’m certain new prospects we have even not talked about earlier will
open now,” the Armenian president stressed.

Kocharyan is convinced in general that the two countries’ cooperation
potential is much more bigger.

“I mean the new quality of cooperation and we have very serious
resource for that,” Kocharyan believes.

Putin returns two Moscow from 2-day Armenian visit

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

MOSCOW, March 25 — President Vladimir Putin has returned to Moscow
from a two-day working visit to Armenia.

The Year of Russia in Armenia was launched during the visit. “Such
projects have a positive effect on humanitarian contacts and lay a
good foundation for economic and political relationship,” Putin said.

Putin and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan had negotiations on
trade, economic and investment cooperation and the CIS situation.

Putin gave assessment to the current developments in Kyrgyzstan at
a joint press conference. He regretted that problems in another CIS
member country are being solved with illegal methods and accompanied
with violence and casualties. The president said though that Russia
would do its best to retain relations with Kyrgyzstan.

He said he would not object to Askar Akayev’s residence in Russia.
“This is quite possible,” he said.

Russia will do its best to promote the Karabakh settlement, Putin
said. He said he hopes for the soonest meeting between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidents.

Putin arrives in Armenia’s Echmiadzin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

ECHMIADZIN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in
Echmiadzin on Friday. Echmiadzin is the administrative and spiritual
center of the Armenian Church that is located in Vagarshapat, 18
kilometers away from Yerevan.

Putin will meet with Armenian Catholicos Garegin II in Echmiadzin. He
will also visit the Catholicate and the Echmiadzin Cathedral.

Putin hopes Year of Russia in Armenia to be success

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes the Year of
Russia in Armenia will prove a success and all the events will be held.

“Hope all the planned events will be carried out,” Putin said recalling
their number should be about 200 under the plan.

“Unexpectedly to the organisers more applications from regions have
started to come in,” Putin said. He expressed confidence that the
number of the events may increase.

The Russian president also noted that the Year of Russia in Armenia
is held during the time of celebration of the 60th VE-Day anniversary.

“Many events of the Year of Russia in Armenia are timed to coincide
with the 60th VE-Day anniversary,” Putin said.

“We’ll mark together this memorable date of our common history,”
the Russian president said. He thanked Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan for the agreement to come to Moscow for the festivities on
the occasion of VE-Day.

Russian Book center in Yerevan to promote friendship

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Wife of the Russian president Lyudmila Putin
and wife of the Armenian President Bella Kocharyan opened a Center
of Russian Book in Yerevan on Friday. The book center includes a
library, a video hall and a readers’ hall. The new center is hoped to
be one of the most interesting institutions of the Russian culture in
Armenia. Its task is to maintain and develop traditional Russo-Armenian
contacts in the cultural and spiritual fields.

Lyudmila Putin expressed the hope that the Russian Book Center in
Yerevan will become a place where people can familiarize themselves
with each other’s traditions and culture, learn each other better and
become close friends. “It will be another step towards peace on our
planet,” Lyudmila Putin declared at a meeting with representatives
of the Armenian intelligentsia at the centre’s opening ceremony.

‘Language is an instrument of communications between the people.
Contacts, exchange of opinions, feelings and emotions is one of the
greatest joys that life can give, and that is unthinkable without
language,” she said. Learning a language one learns to understand
the soul and character of the people whose language is studied,” she
said. “People who have once been to Armenia, Yerevan will have a piece
of that country living in their hearts forever,” Lyudmila Putin said.

The new book center is located in one of the most beautiful mansions in
the center of Yerevan that dates back to 1901. The building houses the
Armenian society for cultural contacts and cooperation with foreign
countries for more than 50 years.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia to do all it can to help Nagorno-Karabakh settlement-Putin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 25, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, March 25 — Russia will do all it can to help settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Vladimir Putin said.

He said at the ceremony of opening a Year of Russia in Armenia on
Friday that Russia and Armenia “are interested in stabilisation of
the situation in the Transcaucasus”.

“We know what hard ordeal the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has proved for
the region. And Russia is ready to do all it can in order long-waited
peace and long-waited accord return to this land,” Putin said.