Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the ceremony devoted to the opening of the exhibition Russia and Armenia: Time-Tested Friendship, Yerevan, November 21, 2017

Mr. President,

Colleagues, friends,

I share the assessments made by Mr. Nalbandian in his speech.

In turn, I would like to fulfil an honourable and pleasant instruction and read out a message from President Vladimir Putin to participants and guests of the historical-documentary exhibition Russia and Armenia: Time-Tested Friendship.

“Dear friends,

“I would like to greet you in connection with the opening of the exhibition, Russia and Armenia: Time-Tested Friendship. This year, we are marking two memorable dates: the 25^th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and the 20^th anniversary of signing the Treaty on Friendship, Mutual Assistance and Cooperation between our countries.

“Russia and Armenia are not just good neighbours. We are united by our common history, pride for the heroic feats of our ancestors, traditions of friendship and mutual understanding that we sincerely cherish. It is important that Russian-Armenian dialogue is developing successfully today and is being filled with real projects as well as plans for the future. We promote joint initiatives in the area of the economy and energy, transport and military-technical cooperation, we expand cooperation in the area of culture, science and education, and we support each other on the international arena. Russia and Armenia are making a weighty contribution to strengthening their partnership within the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the CIS and other multilateral formats.

“I am confident that this exhibition will become a major event in the public life of both countries, and that its material will fully display the special, trust-based nature of Russia-Armenia relations.

“I wish the organisers and guests of the exhibition all the best.

Vladimir Putin."