Papikyan and Kopyrkin discussed prospects for construction ofnew  nuclear power plant in Armenia

ArmInfo.On September 23, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Suren Papikyan received Ambassador of Russia to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin.  As reported by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Papikyan noted that the Armenian-Russian  relations are at a high level and expressed confidence that the  fruitful cooperation will continue.

Suren Papikyan congratulated the Russian Ambassador on the elections  to the State Duma of Russia, stressing that they create new  preconditions for the implementation of programs and ideas. During  the conversation, the importance of cooperation between the RA  National Assembly and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, as  well as the expansion and strengthening of the Armenian-Russian  relations, was emphasized. It was noted that after the elections in  both countries, a stage of political stability and certainty opens,  which can raise inter-parliamentary cooperation to a new level.

Sergey Kopyrkin appreciated the cooperation established in the past  with Suren Papikyan, noting that good experience has been  accumulated, on the basis of which broad prerequisites have been  created for the implementation of upcoming programs. The Russian  Ambassador expressed the readiness of the Russian side to cooperate  in all areas, assuring that positive results will not be long in  coming.

The parties discussed the prospects for the development of the  Armenian-Russian relations, touching upon the issues of security,  defense, energy, infrastructure, new technologies and business  development. They touched upon the work of the South Caucasian  Railway, highlighting its importance in the development of the  Armenian economy, as well as the fact that the increase in the  railway capacity opens up new opportunities for the socio-economic  and network development of related sectors.

Effective cooperation in the field of energy was also discussed. The  Deputy Prime Minister noted that the latter is of strategic  importance for Armenia, its multifaceted development is of vital  importance for the implementation of the program of the RA  government. In this context, they touched upon the expansion of  cooperation with Rosatom, current work on the repair and  modernization of nuclear power plants, as well as the need and  prospects for the construction of a new nuclear power plant. As a  recent example of joint Armenian-Russian cooperation, the production  in Armenia of the first batches of the Russian "Sputnik Light"  single-component vaccine against coronavirus infection was mentioned.

Touching upon the resumption of regional communication, Deputy Prime  Minister Suren Papikyan stressed the importance of Russia's special  and effective role both within the tripartite framework and within  the OSCE Minsk Group.  The situation on the Goris-Kapan road was also  discussed, the strong and constructive role of Russia in reducing  tension and finding solutions to emerging problems was emphasized.