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.