Republican Party of Armenia

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. Note that the Prime Minister of Armenia and the RF Minister of Transport are co-chairs of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister referred to the tragic accident of the Moscow-Yerevan chartered passenger bus, which claimed several casualties early this morning 6 km off Beslan, North Ossetia. Expressing deep concern in connection with the incident, the Premier said he had already given instructions to the heads of relevant agencies to assess the situation and take appropriate measures on the spot. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Russian side for quick response and assistance.

On behalf of the Russian Government, Maxim Sokolov expressed condolences to the victims' families and close relatives and gave details of the situation and the ongoing on-site activities. The Russian Transport Minister assured that the Russian side is doing its utmost to provide medical and psychological assistance to the injured. He advised the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation had been sent to the scene of accident to establish the circumstances.

Then the parties dwelt on the Armenian-Russian relations’ current status and development prospects. Noting the high level of bilateral cooperation, the Premier highlighted Maxim Sokolov’s personal contribution in this regard. Karen Karapetyan said that the agenda of the Armenian-Russian relations is quite hectic and there is great potential for development in a number of areas. The head of the Armenian government voiced readiness to boost cooperation and strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties.

In turn, the Russian Transport Minister stressed that Armenia and Russia have set quite a high mark of cooperation, and all necessary preconditions are in place for their furtherance and development. The parties concurred in that long-term and promising cooperation may be established in agriculture, tourism, energy, information technology, with development prospects available in transport infrastructure and investment projects. In this context, both sides noted the importance of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, which is due to hold a regular meeting next year in Armenia.

In conclusion, Karen Karapetyan and Maxim Sokolov discussed infrastructure projects of regional importance, which are expected to facilitate the recovery and development in transit routes.