Rudenko: We hope the early elections will serve as a starting point  for achieving long-term stability in Armenia

ArmInfo.We consider the processes taking place in the internal political field of Armenia as an internal affair of a sovereign state.

This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Andrei Rudenko in an interview with the Armenian newspaper Novoye Vremya, answering the  question whether Moscow has its own favorites among the political  forces and movements of the republic in the light of the early  parliamentary elections planned in three months.

 "Of course, we cannot remain indifferent to what is happening in our friendly  country. We call on all the political forces of the republic to show  restraint, to search for reasonable compromises in the interests of  uniting the Armenian society. We express the hope that during the  pre-election period everything will pass peacefully, within the  framework of the constitution and will serve as a starting point for  achieving long- term stability in Armenia, "he said.

At the same time, clarifying how justified the opinion prevailing in  Armenia is that bilateral relations have lost their inherent trust,  dynamics, depth, Rudenko said that such assessments are not shared in  Moscow.  According to him, the Armenian-Russian bilateral relations,  traditionally based on fraternal friendship and mutual trust, are  developing dynamically and at different levels and vectors,  regardless of any external or internal situation. He added that even  in an objectively difficult "covid" year, our ties showed growth.   "Russia continues to confidently occupy the position of the main  foreign investor in the Armenian economy. According to the Armenian  side, Russian accumulated investments as of the third quarter of 2020  exceeded USD 2.1 billion, or 40% of total foreign investments. Direct  investment accounts for $ 1.7 billion - 41.7% of the total share.

Russia remains one of the leading trade partners of Armenia,  providing almost a third of the total foreign trade turnover of the  republic. In 2020, due to the general difficulties for the world  economy caused by the consequences of the pandemic, the trade  turnover between our countries slightly decreased. But this fall is  not dramatic.

We expect that as the epidemiological situation normalizes, we will  return to the trajectory of sustainable growth. The efforts of the  relevant ministries and departments of our countries are directed at  the earliest possible rectification of the situation in this area.

The political dialogue is developing intensively. There are hardly  any other countries whose leaders communicate as closely and  productively. In 2020, Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan spoke on  the phone over 60 times. In 2021, our leaders have already held seven  telephone conversations, and on January 11 of this year  met in  person. The heads of government held three face-to-face meetings and  spoke on the phone five times. Regular contacts are maintained by the  heads of government, ministers of foreign affairs and defense, and a  number of other departments and structures. Useful work is being  carried out along the lines of parliaments and regions.

A harmonious addition is the functioning of joint mechanisms,  primarily intergovernmental commissions - on economic cooperation,  military-technical cooperation. The Joint Collegium of the Ministry  of Internal Affairs of Russia and the Police of Armenia, the  Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the Federal  Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly of the  Republic of Armenia are actively working, the Russian-Armenian  Interregional Forum is regularly held.  An integral part of our  alliance is cooperation on the platforms of the CIS, the EAEU, the  CSTO, where we, together with our Armenian and other colleagues, are  working on the formation of common markets with a favorable  environment for the development of entrepreneurship and improving the  quality of life of our population, "concluded Rudenko.