MOSCOW, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. During his working visit to Moscow on December 5, the Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the results and prospects of economic cooperation of the two countries. On the whole, the sides positively assessed bilateral economic cooperation. In the words of V. Putin, there was a stable increase in the commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia, with a 17% growth being recorded as compared with 2007. The total amount of invetsments made 1.6 billion rubles. T. Sargsyan restated the Armenian government's willingness to form a favorable business environment for about 1,000 Russian enterprises. He attached great importance to holding discussions with Armenia's strategic partner - Russia, especially around the process of reducing the negative consequences of the global financial and economic crisis by common efforts. An agreement was reached on a meeting of the finance ministers of two countries and detailed discussion of the anticrisis program. The Russian side's participation in construction of the new nuclear power plant and the Armenia-Iran railway was discussed with V. Putin. According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, in connection with the death of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, the schedule of T. Sargsyan's working visit to Moscow was changed, and for that reason the envisaged meeting with Moscow-based Armenian businessmen was postponed.

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