Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, Yerevan, May 21, 2025

Mr President,

I extend my gratitude for this opportunity to visit you, to convey greetings from Vladimir Putin, and to express the hope that you will endorse the productive negotiations we have held here today in furtherance of the instructions given to us by the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

In January this year, my colleague Ararat Mirzoyan visited Moscow; now I am in Yerevan, and soon the Regions Forum will take place. It is significant that, despite recent developments and certain misunderstandings, our leaders agreed in autumn 2024 to fully restore our contacts.

At least as far as the Foreign Ministry is concerned, we are fulfilling this instruction. You will undoubtedly receive a full report, but our initial assessment is this: it has been a useful and frank discussion, without any attempt to “gloss over” any nuances where our positions do not entirely align.

Yet the more open and honest we are with each other, the easier it will likely be to advance all that holds mutually beneficial significance for both Armenia and the Russian Federation.

We are allies and strategic partners. Today, in response to rather provocative questions during the news conference, we once again reaffirmed our alliance and our commitment to the obligations on both sides.

I believe this was a valuable political moment, one that has been firmly established – not least in the public domain.