Armenian and Russian foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties

YEREVAN, September 29. / ARKA /. The foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia, Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov, discussed yesterday in new York in detail a string of issues relating to Armenian-Russian interaction, the press service of the foreign ministry in Yerevan told ARKA.

It said the two men discussed the process of implementation of agreements reached between the two heads of state, the steps taken to strengthen the strategic partnership and co-operation and compared also their positions in international organizations.

Nalbandian and Lavrov exchanged views on resolving the situation which emerged after the pardoning of Ramil Safarov and the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Russia were said to have discussed also a number of international issues. Nalbandian is in New York to attend the 67th session of the UN General Assembly. 

Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani army Lt. convicted by a Hungarian court to life in prison for killing an Armenian colleague, Gurgen Margarian, had been sent by Hungary back to Azerbaijan to serve his prison sentence where he was pardoned by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev. Lt. Ramil Safarov was given a life sentence in 2006 by a Hungarian court after he confessed to killing Lt. Gurgen Margarian, an Armenian, while both were in Hungary for a 2004 NATO language course. Azerbaijan’s president decision prompted Armenia to suspend diplomatic ties with Hungary. -0-