ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ANSWER THE VITAL INTERESTS OF BOT

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ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ANSWER THE VITAL INTERESTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES,

STATES THE SPOKESMAN OF ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

25.08.2000 14.31

25.08.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. There hasn't been and can't be any worsening in the

Armenian-Russian relations, as these relations are mutually profitable and answer the vital interests of

both the countries, stated today the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, Ara Papian to "Azg"

paper.

The spread rumors in the Armenian and foreign mass media about the worsening of the Armenian-Russian

relations are not new, said Papian.

Continuing the theme of the Armenian-Russian cooperation, the paper stresses that neither the first

president of Russia nor Vladimir Putin have visited Armenia either officially or for a working visit, while

Armenia is Russia's strategic ally in the South Caucasus. "True, Russian presidents haven't visited Baku

either, but as the Azeri press asserts, Vladimir Putin will start his official visit to Azerbaijan in the

beginning of winter", writes the paper. "Azg" also informs about the possible visit of Putin to Tbilisi this

November.

Regarding this, the foreign ministry spokesman said that the information about the upcoming visit of V.

Putin to Baku has been spread by Aliyev's administration, "whereas they don't have such data in

Moscow".

"The Armenian-Russian political and economic relations are incomparable to those of Russian-Azerbaijani

and Russian-Georgian", noted Papian. "Russia doesn't consider Armenia and Azerbaijan on the same

plane in the foreign policy aspect, and the Russian president's visit to any of the countries is not an end in

itself", said Papian.

The Armenian diplomat thinks that the Armenian-Russian relations are formed in such a way that the

questions having bilateral interest "are usually considered within the frameworks of CIS summits,

connected with what the formal and purely protocol visits become meaningless".

On September 25-27 Armenian President Robert Kocharian will pay an official visit to Moscow