Russia 110419 Basic Political Developments

Sargsyan: Armenian-Russian forum to help find new cooperation models

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/67578/
April 19, 2011 - 11:50 AMT 06:50 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President attended the opening ceremony of the first-ever Armenian-Russian interregional forum, which kicked off in Yerevan on April 19, bringing together regional authorities and businessmen from both countries.

“Armenian-Russian partnership is characterized by special economic relations and I’m hopeful that this event will help find new cooperation models,” Serzh Sargsyan said in his remarks. “Currently, there are 1400 enterprises with Russian capital operating in Armenia with US$3 billion investment portfolio, which tends to increase.”

For his part, head of the Russian presidential administration Sergei Narishkin read out President Dmitry Medvedev’s congratulatory telegram. He also noted that trade turnover between the two countries totaled US$860 million last year.

Armenia-Russia cooperation expands actively- Naryshkin

http://news.am/eng/news/55971.html

April 19, 2011 | 11:57

Russia provides assistance to Armenia’s economic sector actively, Head of Russian Presidential Administration Sergei Naryshkin stated at the first Russian-Armenian interregional forum in Yerevan on Tuesday.

He noted that Russian investments in Armenia’s economy have made U.S. $ 2.8bn since 1991, while trade turnover between the two countries reached U.S. $ 860m in 2010. There are 1400 enterprises in Armenia with Russian capital.

As regards the cooperation between regions of the two countries, Naryshkin stressed that today about 70 entities of the Russian Federation are involved in the Russian-Armenian cooperation and the number of partner-regions is constantly increasing.

He stressed the fields of energy, transport and telecommunications among issues of bilateral interest.

President sends greetings to 1st Russia-Armenian regional forum

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16166190&PageNum=0

19.04.2011, 11.08

YEREVAN, April 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent greetings to the participants in the first Russian-Armenian regional forum that opened on Tuesday.

"The regional ties between our countries make a noticeable contribution to the traditionally friendly and good neighborly Russia-Armenian relations," Medvedev noted, "production cooperation and trade, contacts in the fields of education, culture, sports and tourism promote strategic partnership and allies' interaction between the two states, and help the rapprochement of our peoples."

"Today, Russia and Armenia are facing common tasks in many ways. Among them are modernization and further upturn of the national economies, increasing the quality of people's life, and more active promotion of integration in the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States," Medvedev said.

He is confident that the ideas and proposals worked out by the forum will help their effective implementation and further promote regional cooperation and help implement promising business and humanitarian projects.

The Russian leader wished the participants in the forum "fruitful work, interesting communication and new successes."

On Tuesday, visiting Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin laid a wreath to the monument to the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

Naryshkin will take part in the form on April 18-20. The memorial to the genocide victims was built in 1967 on the Tsitsernakaberd hill, which means "swallow's fortress."

After the wreath-laying ceremony, Naryshkin, accompanied by chief of staff of the Armenian president Karen Karapetyan, walked down to the Eternal Fire plaza.

Yerevan hosts Armenian-Russian inter-regional forum

http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/economy/13041.html

The Armenian-Russian forum on inter-regional cooperation has opened in Yerevan. The first plenary session opened with the participation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and the head of the Russian presidential administration Sergey Naryshkin.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a letter to the forum, read out by Naryshkin. Russia and Armenia have common goals, including modernization and development of their national economies, improvement of living standards and promotion of integration processes on CIS territory. Solutions formed at the forum will contribute to realization of inter-regional cooperation and business and humanitarian projects, the letter reads.

The inter-regional forum is held at the sports and concert hall of Karen Demirchyan in Yerevan. The sides plan the signing of inter-governmental and inter-regional deals, import-export contracts and agreements on opening new enterprises. One of the main documents is the memorandum on the South Caucasus Railway and the government of Armenia, on construction of a 32-km road section of Vanadzor-Fioletovo.

One of the main events of the forum is the handing over of the first Sukhoi Superjet 100 to Armavia at Zvartnots airport in Yerevan. Another event is the opening of a Center for Diagnostics of Infrastructure on the South Caucasus Railway in Yerevan and a memorial complex in Armenia to Russian soldiers who died in the Battle of Oshakan on August 17, 1827, near Echmiadzin (Russian-Persian war 1826-1828).

The forum was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation) and the fund for development of the “Institute of Eurasian Studies”, supported by the administrations of the Russian and Armenian presidents.

Monument to Russian soldiers to be unveiled in Oshakan

http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2011/04/19/oshakan-monument/
Tuesday, April 19
A monument to Russian soldiers who were killed in Oshakan battle (1827) of the Russian-Persian war will be inaugurated Tuesday, April 19, in Oshakan, Armenia, attended by head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Naryshkin.

The inauguration ceremony will be held on the sidelines of the first Russian-Armenian interregional forum titled “To New Achievements of Interregional Cooperation in the Russian- Armenian Allied Relations.”

The renovation of Oshakan memorial complex started in early 2011 on the initiative of the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko. The renovation works were implemented by the “Matter of Honor" Russian-Armenian benevolent organization headed by Andranik Nikoghosyan.

This is the second major protect of the “Matter of Honor” organization on preservation of the historical memory of the two peoples. The first project was the renovation of the Hill of Honor in Gyumri, military cemetery of Russian officers who perished in the Russian-Turkish wars of XIX century.

Oshakan monument featuring the selfless deed of Russian warriors in Armenia is a unique symbol of the community and centuries-old friendship between the two peoples, the “Matter of Honor” said.

First batchj-produced Superjet 100 to be handed over to Armenian airline

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16165574&PageNum=0

19.04.2011, 07.12

YEREVAN, April 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russian aircraft manufacturing corporation Sukhoi Civilian Airlines /GSS/ is expected to hand over to the customer – the Armenian airline Armavia – the first batch-produced Sukhoi Superjet 100.

All in all, Armavia will get two Superjets.

April 12, the GSS and Armavia signed an inspection certificate for the jet, which certifies that the Superjet is being transferred to Armavia with a full package of documents and service documentation.

The airliner matches the specified operational characteristics, does not have operational limitations, has full airworthiness and is ready for an immediate release on to commercial routes, both international and domestic ones.

The Superjet is due to substitute for the old Soviet-era Tupolev-134 jets, which are still in operation.

The GSS has a confirmed portfolio of 170 orders for the Sukhoi jets. The first airworthy machine in the family was shown to the public September 26, 2007, at a factory in the Russian Far-Eastern city Komsomoslk-on-Amur and it was also there that it took off on its maiden flight May 19, 2008,

It is expected that the first Superjets will be supplied to Russia’s major line Aeroflot soon.

Along with this Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said last week that Aeroflot’s management is getting ready to issue sanctions against the GSS, which disrupts the deadlines for the deliveries of new jets.

He recalled that, according to initial plans, the first Sukhoi Superjets 100 were to reach Aeroflot at the end of 2010, but a delay in the obtaining of a certificate prompted the company top postpone the deadline several times.

“The delivery dates indicated in the contract have expired and now the executives are drawing up on penalties,” Levitin said. “They will first send them to the GSS board of directors and then to the government.”

He also said Aeroflot specialists had questions regarding the technical condition of the new jets.

A spokesman for Aeroflot said along with this that Superjets have been included in the airline’s summer flights schedules and the management is anxious to get them.