Thank you, Sergey Viktorovich.

I wish to express my gratitude for the warm welcome and productive discussion. You were very inclusive in presenting the thematic of our dialogue and negotiations.

During our meeting with Sergey Viktorovich, I reiterated our readiness to steadily develop our multifaceted allied collaboration with the Russian Federation, as well as highlighted the importance attached by the Armenian side to its strategic partnership with Russia. We are determined to further promote that cooperation based on the 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, as well as the Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Armenia and Russia.

We have discussed in detail a wide array of issues of our bilateral and multilateral agenda aimed at further expanding and deepening of our allied relations. The intensity, depth and inclusiveness of our relations truly oblige us to put immense efforts in ensuring their continuity.

The relations between our nations have always served as an example of friendship, mutual understanding, mutual and sincere respect, reciprocal support, and are essentially valuable. The main emphasis will be put upon ensuring the conditions for the development of our bilateral relations, as well as on the issues of mutual assistance and partnership. Another important point on our agenda is the coordination on multilateral platforms which is meant to assist our bilateral relations. We intend to further deepen and expand our close cooperation in all areas, including within the frameworks of the EAEU and CSTO. Those intentions were already voiced during the high-level meeting between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Russia held in Sochi. We are very happy that dynamics of these meetings is maintained and that new meetings are expected in the near future.

These principles are also included in the programme of the Government and have been voiced today in the parliament. We stay loyal to the continuity of our foreign policy course where the relations with Russia have special importance.

We have also discussed the coordination of our actions in the UN, OSCE, CIS, Council of Europe, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and on other platforms.

With my colleague we touched upon the continual intensification of our cooperation in the economic sphere and the growth of the trade turnover. We also underscored the interest in raising the effectiveness of application of important mechanisms of bilateral cooperation both within the framework of inter-parliamentary and inter-governmental commissions as well as the intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation.

We have a solid legal framework which regulates the collaboration between our countries in all spheres, including the coordination of foreign policy, as well as the issues of defense, military and military-technical cooperation.

Naturally, we have touched upon a number of regional and international issues. Special consideration was given to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We highly value Russia's contribution to the peaceful settlement of the conflict alongside the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We are ready to continue our joint efforts aimed at creating conditions for the advancement of the negotiations process.

In the current phase, we are working towards the involvement into the negotiations process and ensuring its continuity. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the security of its people is a pillar that remains unchanged for us. The negotiations are directed towards the solution of those very issues.

Sergey Viktorovich, I would like to once again express my gratitude for the warm welcome, and constructive and open dialogue. We are waiting for you in Yerevan.

Thank you

Question: Good afternoon, my question is of a general nature, although I believe it to be very important. What are the prospects of developing the centuries-long Armenian-Russian relations and to what extent is the potential in those relations being utilized at the moment?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan I would like to add on my part that the immense foundation on which the Armenian-Russian relations are built on was represented absolutely on point. Referring to the previous question, different views exist, which raise our concern, as some attempts appear to be made to find something wrong in the Armenian-Russian relations. It will be a difficult task, nevertheless, that fact should not be neglected. We have spoken about the Armenian-Russian relations today as well, and our Prime Minister has also spoken about it. I repeat, we have a government programme where everything is written clear and simple.

The upcoming months will only reaffirm what we talk about and what we continue to do. Whereas the agenda of Armenian-Russian relations is so inclusive that encompasses every aspect of a person’s life where we have quite solid grounds of cooperation and mutual respect. This includes historical, cultural, and civilizational understanding, quite deep perception of mutual connection, and collaboration that stems from those priorities on which we build our systems, our security, and development policy. Our foreign policy priorities are built exactly in the context of how well they serve our internal goals of creating solid foundations for strengthening and developing our security. In this context, the Armenian-Russian relations are quite logical and consistent, while the stability of the course of our foreign policy is logical and understandable for us and we will, therefore, continue this policy.

Thank you.