The allied relations and strategic partnership between Russia and Armenia have become really all-embracing by the time the two countries mark the 25th anniversary since the date of establishing diplomatic relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an article published on Monday by the Novoye Vremya newspaper in Yerevan.
“April 3, 2017, marks a significant event the 25th anniversary since the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia established diplomatic relations,” he indicated. “This date marks a new stage in Russian-Armenian ties that have centuris-old history.”
Lavrov recalled the traditions of friendship and mutual assistance uniting Russia and Armenia, as well as cultural and spiritual kinship.
“We really have something to take pride in,” he said. “We’ve managed to multiply the invaluable heritage of Russian-Armenian friendship over the past quarter of a century, to take interstate cooperation to a quality new level and to reach impressive results in the key areas where we invest our efforts together.”
He added that Moscow and Yerevan are developing political dialogue, parliamentary relations, activities of intergovernmental commissions in the economy and defense technologies, and an inter-parliamentary commission.
“Thus relations of alliance and strategic partnership that rely on the August 29, 1997, treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, and on the September 26, 2000, declaration of alliance and cooperation are really all-embracing,” Lavrov said.
Moscow welcomes Yerevan’s effort aimed at providing humanitarian aid to civilians in Syria, Russia’s top diplomat said.
Lavrov pointed out to close cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan on major multilateral platforms. “Together with Yerevan, we have been making efforts aimed at using the significant potential of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). We have also been boosting political interaction within the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC),” Lavrov added.
“We welcome Armenia’s contribution to the common effort to provide aid to the Syrian civilians,” the Russian foreign minister stressed.
According to Lavrov, today, the two countries “are facing large-scale common tasks on ensuring the prosperity of Russia and Armenia, maintaining peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus.”
“Together with our Armenian friends, we continue the work directed at effectively solving these tasks for the good of our peoples,” Lavrov wrote. “The solid foundation of the Russian-Armenian cooperation, friendly and respectful relations between our two peoples, based on mutual trust, are the key to success.”
