MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Russia hopes that Armenia’s national elections won’t harm bilateral relations between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"We see that the domestic political processes in Armenia are moving ahead, and elections are around the corner," Putin said during his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow.
"The most important thing is that these internal political processes, and they always escalate during any election campaign, so that these escalations - I am sure that everything in Armenia is just like in Russia and other countries - these escalations do not harm our bilateral relations," Putin stated.
The Russian president also expressed hope that whatever the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, the drive for strengthening bilateral relations would remain unchanged.
"I've always told you this, and I want to emphasize it once again. I want to express the hope that no matter how the elections in Armenia end, our common commitment to building and strengthening Russian-Armenian relations will continue," Putin noted.
He added that no matter what happens, Russia would always be guided by what is beneficial for the Armenian people.
Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan is paying an official visit to Moscow on April 1. Current regional issues, in particular the development of economic, transport and logistics ties in the South Caucasus, are on the agenda of the meeting.
On March 23, Putin and Pashinyan held a telephone conversation. They discussed bilateral issues and agreed to meet in person at the earliest opportunity.