Russia, Armenia vow to boost cooperation

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan on Monday vowed to further develop bilateral cooperation in various fields. During their meeting, Medvedev noted that trade between the two countries would exceed 1 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2011. He added that total volume of Russian investments to Armenia has reached over 2.8 billion dollars in various fields, including nuclear energy, railroad building and other projects. "These are good signs," Medvedev said, adding that Moscow and Yerevan have been friends and allies. Sargsyan thanked Moscow for mediating the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two leaders also expressed their condolences over the earthquake in Turkey. It was the first state visit of an Armenian president to Russia.