Lavrov arrived in Yerevan as part of the interdepartmental delegation of the Russian Federation
Several government planes from Moscow arrived in Yerevan on Saturday morning. One of them was attended by a delegation with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It also includes Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak and Alexey Overchuk, Head of the Ministry of Health Mikhail Murashko, Head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova. From the airport, the interdepartmental delegation headed to the presidential palace, where talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Armenian President Armen Sarkisian will take place during the day.
The head of the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova posted on social networks a photo of the beginning of the meeting of Russian officials with the delegation of the Prime Minister of Armenia.
Nikol Pashinyan thanked Russia for the support it provided to Armenia not only during the military crisis, but also during the coronavirus pandemic. “Over the past month, we especially felt the support of the Russian Federation and those friendly, allied relations that traditionally exist between our countries,” he said. Mr. Pashinyan added that the parties are to discuss the development of cooperation in the near and strategic perspective.
In turn, Sergei Lavrov said that he had arrived on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss further steps to implement the agreements between the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia dated November 9. Many of the points of the agreement signed at that time are already being implemented – the ceasefire is in effect, Russian peacekeepers entered the conflict zone, some of the territories previously occupied by Armenian forces were returned to Azerbaijan, and refugees began to return to their homes. But there is still a lot of work to be done in the socio-economic and humanitarian areas. During the talks in Yerevan, Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that international organizations, including UN structures, would join in solving problems in these areas.
After the meeting in an expanded format, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Armenian prime minister held one-on-one talks.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev also arrived in Armenia on Saturday. Thus, two Russian deputy prime ministers and four ministers ended up in Yerevan at the same time. Further, all delegations will go to Azerbaijan.
On Friday, Vladimir Putin announced that a representative delegation of the heads of Russian departments was sent to Yerevan and Baku to solve the “most pressing”, including humanitarian, problems of Nagorno-Karabakh.
About Russian peacekeepers in the region – in the material of “Kommersant” “In Karabakh, unfolded in full.”
Elena Chernenko, Yerevan
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