The Armenian-Russian relations have been and will remain allied in all respects; we are close partners in many international organizations, said Russian President Vladimir Putin as he welcomed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He noted that the despite the difficulties of the year, the trade between the two countries has seen a 3.9 percent increase.

“All this gives reason to hope that along the settlement of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, we will come up with solutions that will, of course, benefit the Armenian people, the Armenian state and our bilateral relations,” Putin said.

Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, that the implementation of the agreements enshrined in today’s joint statement can seriously change the economic image of the region and significantly increase the investment potential and investment attractiveness.

“But, as I said, in my opinion, these economic issues are becoming more difficult against the background of unsolved humanitarian issues. And of course, I have already said that the most sensitive and painful issue for all of us are the humanitarian issues related to prisoners of war, missing persons, the exchange of bodies of the dead, and I would like to thank you for defending and supporting this position,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM hailed Vladimir Putin’s “tangible contribution to the peace process.”

“Russia has been and remains our main strategic ally in the security sphere. And we still need to discuss, of course, not only the future of our region, but also the agenda that we have in bilateral relations,” Nikol Pashinyan said.