YEREVAN, November 23. /TASS/. Russia and Armenia have a relationship of allies, which is rooted deep in the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Yerevan on Wednesday.

"You have spoken about our bilateral relations, which are certainly allied and have ancient, deep roots," Putin said.

The Russian president also mentioned a 67% increase in trade between the two countries in January-September 2022.

"Yes, it is due to specific features of the present day, but it will definitely be a good contribution to the nest egg for the future as well," the Russian president stressed.

In addition, the Russian leader touched upon the discussion of solutions to regional problems, including the unblocking of transport routes.

Putin congratulated Pashinyan on Armenia’s successful presidency of the CSTO.

"Armenia has carried out this work at a very high level, actively. Of course, it is probably never, or very rarely possible to agree on all issues, but in general, the work was very intensive and useful," the Russian president said.