Lavrov: Trade turnover between Russia and Armenia demonstrated  impressive results last year

ArmInfo.Trade turnover between Russia and Armenia demonstrated impressive results last year,  reaching $1.6 billion. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated this at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan following talks held in Yerevan on May 21.

"This is over a third of Armenia's entire foreign trade. The Russian  Federation remains Armenia's first trade and investment partner.  Moreover,  96% of trade payments are made in national currencies -  rubles and drams. Russian economic operators traditionally are key  taxpayers and employers in Armenia. We welcomed the efforts of the  Armenian authorities to ensure the legitimate interests of Russian  businesses in the republic. We are confident that this will  contribute to the flow of Russian investments to such important areas  as agriculture, transport, logistics, and the mining industry," the  Russian Foreign Minister noted.

He also highly praised the activities of the Russian-Armenian  intergovernmental commission. Speaking about the expansion of mutual  diplomatic presence, Lavrov emphasized the continuation of   preparations for the opening of the Russian Consulate General in  Kapan.

Touching upon cooperation in the security sphere, he said that Moscow  still views the security sphere as one of the most important  dimensions of the alliance. "This year we celebrate the 30th  anniversary of the conclusion of the Agreement on the Russian  military base in Armenia and the 10th anniversary of the  Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Response Center," Lavrov stated.