Government: Meeting Between Pashinyan and Putin

Following the session of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO held in Yerevan, a meeting took place between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Pashinyan specifically noted, “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I welcome you to the Republic of Armenia, in our capital city. Today, we held a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council; of course, we were not able to reach consensus on all issues; 15 out of 17 decisions were adopted. I hope that in this format we will succeed in discussing the agenda of our bilateral relations, which is very rich. It should be emphasized that our bilateral economic ties are developing at a rapid pace. I noticed that exports from Armenia to the Russian Federation have increased by 80% this year. Of course, this is related to certain changes in logistical chains, but it is a fact that creates new opportunities for economic cooperation.

Of course, today we have already discussed and will discuss regional issues, issues of regional security. There are numerous questions; during the session, I spoke about the maintenance of the agreements reached through trilateral statements, which we adopted with your assistance and mediation along with the President of Azerbaijan. These are very important issues that we certainly need to discuss, as well as to discuss the agenda, which we hope will lead to lasting peace in our region.”

On his part, Vladimir Putin noted, “Dear Nikol Vladimirovich, first of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation and congratulate you on the successful conclusion of your presidency in the CSTO. Armenia indeed carried out this work at a very high level, actively. Of course, it is rare to reach an agreement on all issues, but overall, the work was very intense and useful. You also emphasized our bilateral relations, which are undoubtedly regarded as allied and have deep historical roots, often with no need to delve into history; it is already clear to us what this means and the significance it holds for our bilateral relations.

As for today, if last year trade turnover increased by 12%, then in the first nine months of this year, it has already grown by 67%. Yes, this is due to current specifics, but undoubtedly, it will also serve as a foundation for the future. There is no doubt about that. When we met, we were driving and discussed regional issues, including those regarding regulation in the region, we talked about the unblocking of transport infrastructure. I am very pleased that there is an opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting within the framework of today’s events. Thank you for the invitation.”