On February 22, Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov opened an exhibition in the Reception House of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia.

Opening the exhibition, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said.

“Dear Mr. Lavrov,
Friends,

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have organised this exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Today we announce the launch of events dedicated to this quarter century anniversary.

The archival documents presented in the exhibition are the impressive overview of the way that we have passed together since the memorable day of April 3, 1992, when a new page of the history of Armenia-Russia relations was opened. Indeed, people of Armenia and Russia are linked with strong ties of friendship that have withstood the test of time and history throughout centuries.

We have always been together, both in times of peace and in the years of hardships. And today Armenia-Russia relations are considered to be a role model of bilateral cooperation, perhaps, the most successful and the most fruitful in the post-Soviet space.

Armenia and Russia are connected with relations of allied cooperation. It is impossible to be allies in one sphere, but not in others. Thе quality of this relationship is evident throughout the entire spectrum of inter-state cooperation. Our bilateral relations are defined by close foreign policy coordination, effective cooperation in military-political and military-technical spheres, successful partnership in the areas of trade and economy, energy, transport, as well as decentralised cooperation, that gains momentum year by year. We consistently develop cooperation in the areas of culture, science and education. Russia is our main trading partner and main investor in the economy of Armenia. There are about 1400 joint ventures operating in our country, more than 200 bilateral documents have been signed.

Armenia-Russia inter-state relations are strengthened through our fruitful cooperation within international and regional organisations, among which, besides the UN and the OSCE, I would single out the CSTO, the CIS, and, of course, the Eurasian Economic Union.

But no matter what is the nature of the inter-state relations, they cannot be really strong, if there is no warmth between nations and ordinary people. And here, I would like to specifically mention the profound nature of friendship and mutual sympathy that link our nations and ordinary people.

On the basis of this solid foundation today we undertake joint efforts towards identifying new perspective dimensions of our strategic cooperation by enriching it with a new content.

Dear friends,

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this noble cause throughout the past 25 years and continue doing it today.”