The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

As the western world plunges further into financial turmoil Moscow continues to flex its biggest muscles, its nuclear arsenal. A day after RF president Medvedev oversaw the launching of a Sineva ICBM by a submerged submarine in the Barents Sea, he was at hand to observe the launching of a land based Topol ICBM in Russia's north.

Armenian

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Russia's Medvedev observes test launch of Topol ICBM

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev observed on Sunday the test launch of a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia. The missile was launched by Russia's Strategic Missile Force at 11:24 a.m. Moscow time (7:24 GMT). Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM. The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985. Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile. On Saturday, Medvedev also observed military exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea, including a full-range test of the Sineva ballistic missile that traveled a record 11,547 km (7,170 miles). The exercises test Russia's strategic and regional deterrent and the structures of the Northern Fleet, particularly in relation to the naval strategic nuclear forces. An aide to the Russian navy commander said it was the first time a submarine had launched the Sineva ballistic missile to its maximum range. "For the first time in Navy history, the launch was not to the Kura test range in Kamchatka [Russian Far East], but to the area of an equatorial part of the Pacific," Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said, adding that the launch was made to check the preparedness of naval strategic nuclear forces. The Sineva launch was made as part of the Dvina tactical exercises of the Russian Northern Fleet, which are also part of larger-scale Stability-2008 exercises conducted with Belarus that started in September and will run until October 21.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081012/117687736.html

Russia's Dmitry Medvedev observes Barents Sea drills

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joined the Northern Fleet on Saturday to observe military exercises in the Barents Sea including a full-range test of the Sineva ballistic missile. Medvedev announced that the missile had traveled a record 11,547 km (7,170 miles), declaring it a serious part of the arsenal for some time to come. "It seems to me that practically all tasks that were set, were successfully carried out," the president said, noting that data on the test would have to be analyzed. An aide to the Russian navy commander said it was the first time a submarine had launched the Sineva ballistic missile to its maximum range. "For the first time in Navy history, the launch was not to the Kura test range in Kamchatka [Russian Far East], but to the area of an equatorial part of the Pacific," Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said, adding that the launch was made to check the preparedness of naval strategic nuclear forces. The Sineva launch was made as part of the Dvina tactical exercises of the Russian Northern Fleet, which are also part of larger-scale Stability-2008 exercises conducted with Belarus that started in September and will run until October 21. Medvedev arrived Saturday along with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Kuznetsov to observe the exercises. The Barents Sea portion of the drills involves more than 5,000 military personnel, eight surface ships and five submarines. The exercises test Russia's strategic and regional deterrent and the structures of the Northern Fleet, particularly in relation to the naval strategic nuclear forces. Medvedev said he had instructed the Defense Ministry to develop a program with the aim of starting to build aircraft carriers within two years. "We need to build new aircraft carriers, this is a very important direction for the Navy's development," the president said. "All great countries with powerful navies develop in this way." The RSM-54 Sineva (NATO designation SS-N-23 Skiff) is a third-generation liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile that entered service with the Russian Navy in July 2007. It can carry four or 10 nuclear warheads, depending on the modification. Russia's Strategic Missile Forces said last year that Russia would conduct at least 11 test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2008 and would double the number of launches after 2009 "to prevent the weakening of Russia's nuclear deterrent."

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081011/117684418.html

Russia conducts ballistic missile tests

Russia test-fired three long-range missiles on Sunday and pronounced its nuclear deterrent strong in a show of force that experts said had not been seen since the days of the Cold War. Two of the missiles were fired from nuclear submarines in the Asian and European extremes of the sprawling country while a third was watched by President Dmitry Medvedev on land in northwest Russia, news agencies reported. It was the second Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in as many days and the latest in a series of high-profile military exercises of conventional land, sea and air forces as well as strategic nuclear units. "This shows that our deterrent is in order," Medvedev was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying after Sunday's missile launches. "We will of course be introducing new types of forces and means into the military," he added, without elaborating.

Independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said the exercises reflected Russia's determination to prepare for major military conflict. "This was a dry run for a war with the United States," Felgenhauer said of the missile launches, part of major military manoeuvres billed "Stability 2008" involving all military branches. "These are the biggest strategic war games in more than 20 years. They are on a parallel with those held in the first half of the 1980s. Nothing of the sort has been seen either in Russia or the United States since then," he said. Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo confirmed the near-simultaneous ICBM test-launches from submarines in the Sea of Okhotsk north of Japan and the Barents Sea northeast of Norway, saying they had been planned well in advance. Speaking to AFP from northwest Russia, Dygalo admitted it was unusual for the navy to conduct three ICBM test launches in two days -- a submarine in the Barents Sea also fired a missile Saturday -- and called the tests successful. "The missiles hit right on target," he said. News agencies said the missiles launched from the Barents Sea and the secret base at Plesetsk hit targets on the Kamchatka peninsula thousands of kilometres (miles) to the east.

The missile fired from the Sea of Okhotsk hit on target near Kanin Nos, a finger of land jutting into the White Sea in extreme northwest Russia, the reports said. The Sineva missile launched Saturday -- an exercise also watched by Medvedev from aboard an aircraft carrier -- travelled more than 11,500 kilometres (7,145 miles) in what the Russian president claimed was an all-time distance record. The missile tests came a day after Russia announced that a small naval flotilla led by the nuclear battlecruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) had paid a call at the Libyan port of Tripoli. The ships, including a submarine destroyer and support vessels, were to conduct exercises at unspecified locations in the Mediterrannean Sea before heading toward Venezuela for joint exercises there in November, officials said.

Two Russian Tupolev-162 strategic bombers -- each capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles armed with single 200-megaton nuclear warheads -- carried out exercises in Venezuela last month. Last week, Japan scrambled a pair of US-made F-15 fighters to intercept and escort Russian bombers on patrol near, but not inside, Japanese territorial waters. The Kremlin, alarmed and angered over new US missile defence plans in eastern Europe and the expansion of the US-led NATO alliance into countries once allied with Moscow, has stressed for a year that it will respond in kind. Washington has shrugged off Russian moves over the past 18 months to resume strategic bomber patrols around the world and reactivate use of its navy to project power on the seas, questioning if the hardware was up to the task.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...SRAQX6QuPGF4Sg

Russia’s nuclear deterrent in good shape: Medvedev

Russia has successfully test-fired four long-range nuclear-capable missiles over the weekend in an unprecedented show of force that has not been seen since the Cold War era. On Sunday, two nuclear submarines deployed in the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan, and the Barents Sea, northeast of Norway, simultaneously test-fired Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), which hit targets at the opposite extreme of the country. A third missile, Topol, was fired from a mobile land-launcher at the Plisetsk space centre in northwest Russia. A day earlier, a nuclear submarine test-fired the new ICBM Sineva in the Barents Sea. Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, who was present at the Sineva’s launch on Saturday, and watched the Topol launch on Sunday, said the country’s nuclear deterrent was “in good shape” and “new weapon systems” will be inducted in the future. The missile launches were part of the “Stability 2008” war games, the biggest strategic manoeuvres by Russia since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The exercise involved nearly 50,000 troops and over 7,000 pieces of heavy-war gear, including aircraft, ships and nuclear missiles.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/13/stor...1352841400.htm

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia Is Striving to Modernize Its Military

As they tracked Russian military maneuvers in recent days, the American government’s career Kremlin-watchers might have been forgiven for wondering if they were seeing recycled newsreels from the worst of the bad old days. A huge exercise, called Stability 2008, spread tens of thousands of troops, thousands of vehicles and scores of combat aircraft across nearly all 11 time zones of Russian territory in the largest war game since the collapse of the Soviet Union. There was no specified enemy, but the Russian forces appeared to be enacting a nationwide effort to quell unrest along Russia’s southern border — and to repulse an American-led attack by NATO forces, according to experts in Moscow and here. In a grim finale, commanders launched three intercontinental ballistic missiles, the type that can carry multiple nuclear warheads. It was a clear signal of the drastic endgame the Kremlin might consider should its conventional forces not hold. One of the missiles flew more than 7,100 miles, allowing Russian officials to claim they had set a distance record. If these images of Russian power projection appeared drawn from the dark decades of Dr. Strangelove, the response from Washington was anything but.

When asked to assess what seemed to be a Russian resurgence, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have provided the same sanguine response, echoed down through the ranks of government analysts who have spent years reading obscure Russian military journals and scrutinizing classified satellite photographs. The Russian military fell to third world standards from neglect and budget cuts in the turbulent years when Boris N. Yeltsin was president, they say. The new Kremlin leadership is working to create a force that can actually defend the nation’s interests. The military has embarked on a program to buy modern weapons, improve training and health care for troops, trim a bloated officer corps and create the first professional class of sergeant-level, small-unit leaders since World War II. Which is not to say that the United States will stop judging Russian behavior in light of what it considers a clumsy, ill-advised and unnecessary invasion of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Yet policymakers also say the Kremlin’s efforts at military modernization should not prevent cooperation on mutual concerns, including countering terrorism and halting nuclear proliferation.

Even a high-profile speech three weeks ago by President Dmitri A. Medvedev, ordering a military modernization program and the largest increases in defense spending since the death of the old Soviet Union, was viewed here as short on substance and designed more for a domestic political agenda. Mr. Medvedev declared that by 2020, Russia would construct new types of warships and an unspecified air and space defense system. Military spending, he said, will leap by 26 percent next year, bringing it to 1.3 trillion rubles (about $50 billion), its highest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union — but still a small fraction of American military spending. Mr. Medvedev pledged that Russia would shore up its nuclear deterrence and upgrade its conventional forces to a state of “permanent combat-readiness.” American experts were unimpressed. “Russia is prone to make fairly grandiose announcements about its military,” said a Defense Department official who discussed government analyses on condition of anonymity. “These programs have long been in the works. They are not new plans. They are not new programs.”

Even so, veteran analysts of Russian military affairs acknowledge that a military renaissance would allow the Moscow leadership to increase political pressure on former Soviet republics, now independent, as well as former Warsaw Pact allies that embraced NATO after the collapse of communism. “What the Russian leadership has discovered is proof of an old maxim: that a foreign policy without a credible military is no foreign policy,” said Dale R. Herspring, a scholar on Russian military affairs at Kansas State University. Eugene B. Rumer, of the National Defense University here, said events of recent weeks were “not a sign, really, of the Russian military being reborn, but more of a Russia being able to flex what relatively little muscle it has on the global scale, and to show that it actually matters.” One example is how Russia’s navy is seeking to display global reach. A flotilla of warships, including the nuclear battle cruiser Peter the Great, is under sail for exercises next month with Venezuela.

Russia has also announced more than $1 billion in new arms deals with the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez. “This Venezuela adventure is basically Russia’s payback for what they consider the humiliation of American ships’ operating in the Black Sea during the war in Georgia,” said Mikhail Tsypkin, of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. “This is to annoy the United States.” Some of the steps undertaken to wrench the Russian military out of mediocrity resemble changes in the American military over several decades. Russia plans for its ground forces to move to a system designed for the deployment of brigades, rather than bulkier division or corps headquarters — nearly copying the United States Army’s approach. The Russian military also plans to offer pay and housing incentives to attract noncommissioned officers — the valuable class of sergeants — to make a long-term career of military service. While not as drastic as the move by the post-Vietnam American military to switch from the draft to an all-volunteer force, the plan would shift Russia further from reliance on one-year conscripts, who are not in uniform long enough to master even basic skills.

Just last week, the Russian military leadership announced it would further reduce the number of people in uniform, to about 1 million from the current 1.1 million, far below the 4 million-strong military at the end of the cold war. Most significant, according to American government officials, is a four-year plan to reduce to 150,000 a Russian officer corps that now numbers 400,000, a shrinking that is certain to produce significant opposition within the senior ranks. The Russian General Staff will be trimmed, and the number of generals is planned to fall to 900 from the current 1,100. But in an acknowledgment that the general officer corps can slow the pace of change throughout the military, most of those reductions will occur through retirement. The Kremlin knows that its military bureaucracy is riddled with corruption, Pentagon officials say. Experts here say that audits ordered after Vladimir V. Putin took over from Mr. Yeltsin in 2000 found that 40 percent of the budget for some weapons programs and salaries was lost to theft and waste.

The new defense minister, Anatoly E. Serdyukov, was a surprise choice, given that he had no military background but was an expert in finance and taxes. As he moved to clean house across the military-industrial complex, the reason for his selection became clear. Analysts of Kremlin affairs note that a central risk to Russian military reform might not be foreign armies, but the current economic collapse, which has sent oil prices plummeting, robbing Russia of profits earmarked for upgrading the armed forces. An irony is emerging. One central cause of the Soviet Union’s collapse was that its centrally planned, calcified economy simply could not support the Kremlin’s superpower military ambitions. If oil prices continue to drop, Mr. Medvedev and Mr. Putin may be faced with the same economic limits on their military plans.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/wo...litary.html?em

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russian, Armenian leaders to discuss trade, energy, Caucasus

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will discuss trade, energy and the South Caucasus situation with his Armenian counterpart during a visit to Armenia October 20-21, a Kremlin source said on Sunday. Medvedev will pay an official visit to Armenia on the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. The visit aims to strengthen the relations of strategic partnership between Russia and Armenia, the Kremlin source said. Bilateral trade and economic cooperation will top the agenda of talks between the Russian and Armenian leaders, the Kremlin source said. "Bilateral trade grew 13%, year-on-year, in the first eight months of 2008 to $536.5 million. Russia is a leading trade partner of Armenia and holds leading positions in terms of investment in the Armenian economy, with accrued investment from Russia topping $1.6 billion from 1991 to July 1, 2008," the Kremlin source said. The parties will also focus on joint energy projects and the industrial development of uranium deposits in Armenia, the source said. At their talks in Yerevan, the Russian and Armenian leaders will also discuss the situation in South Caucasus following Georgia's recent attack on breakaway South Ossetia, and other topical international issues, the Kremlin source said. Russia recognized South Ossetia along with Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, two weeks after it forced out Georgian troops that had tried to retake control of South Ossetia. Tensions remain high in the region, and Georgia continues to demand that Russia withdraw its troops from the two republics.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081019/117821199.html

Russia's Medvedev to begin two-day official visit to Armenia

President Dmitry Medvedev began a two-day visit on Monday to Armenia, caught in a precarious security deadlock in the Caucasus following Russia's recent war with Georgia. The trips marks Medvedev's fifth meeting this year with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, a firm Moscow ally. "The main provision on the agenda of Medvedev's visit will be talks in the tete-a-tete and extended formats talks with Sarkisian," a Kremlin official said on customary condition of anonymity Monday. "This vividly proves the high level of political dialog aimed at the further strengthening of strategic partnership." The official added that trade and economic relations were the primary topics of discussion. Formerly known as the Soviet Union's manufacturing hub, Armenia has remained firmly under Moscow's radius with Russian business holding near total control over Armenia's energy and transportation sectors. But an unannounced visit by Russia's Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov to the Armenian capital of Yerevan earlier this month sparked rumours in the Russian press that Moscow is pushing for a wider bilateral military partnership. Russian daily Nezavesimaya Gazeta quoted the head of Armenia's parliamentary defence committee as saying Russia could could deploy new military bases in Armenia and even peacekeepers in Nagarno-Karabakh, an area Armenia fought a war over with Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. But analysts on Monday downplayed such a scenario, saying Russia's current presence at the Gyumir base, near Armenia's border with Turkey, is already so strong further deployments were senseless. They said Armenia was not keen for a Russian military presence in the frozen conflict zone of Nagarno-Karabakh, fearing to exacerbate with neighboring Georgia. "Armenia is treading a very thin line, they don't want to upset Georgia or burgeoning relations with NATO, at the same time they see Russia as their last line of defence in the case of an attack," Moscow-based independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said. "Armenia has reason to worry that Georgia not join the blockade against it," Felgenhauer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...o-armenia.html

Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Yerevan

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Yerevan on October 20 evening. After the welcome ceremony the heads of state will head for the residence of the Armenian President for a formal dinner. The Presidents are scheduled to hold a tête-à-tête presidential to be followed by expanded talks during which a number of documents on cooperation will be signed. On October 21, the Presidents of Armenia and Russia will take part in opening ceremony of Square of Russia in front of the House of Moscow in Yerevan. Mr. Medvedev will also lay a wreath to the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27406

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Today was a very symbolic day in Armenian-Russian relations.

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Russian, Armenian leaders to talk trade, energy, Caucasus

Square of Russia unveiled in Armenian capital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05LdeJ_wcHM

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will discuss trade, energy and conflict in the South Caucasus with his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargisyan, at talks in Armenia on October 21, a Kremlin official said. Bilateral trade grew 13%, year-on-year, in the first eight months of 2008 to reach $536.5 million, the Kremlin said earlier. Russia is a leading trade partner of Armenia and is one of the biggest investors in the country's economy, with accrued investment from Russia topping $1.6 billion from 1991 to July 1, 2008. The parties will also focus on joint energy projects and the industrial development of uranium deposits in Armenia, the official said earlier. At their talks in the capital Yerevan, the presidents will also discuss the situation in the South Caucasus following Russia's brief war with Georgia, and other pressing international issues. Russia recognized South Ossetia along with Georgia's other breakaway region Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, after it forced out Georgian troops that had tried to retake control of South Ossetia. Tensions remain high in the region, and Georgia continues to demand that Russia withdraw its troops from the two republics. In September Armenia and other countries in the post-Soviet alliance Commonwealth of Independent States announced their support for Russia over its conflict with Georgia, but stopped short of recognizing the two provinces. Ex-Soviet Armenia is itself locked in a bitter territorial conflict with Azerbaijan. Armenia receives most of its gas from Russia. The tiny Caucasus nation has high unemployment and widespread poverty. Its economic problems are aggravated by a trade embargo, imposed by neighboring Turkey and ex-Soviet Azerbaijan since the dispute over Nagorny Karabakh. Russia has a military base in Gyumri in Armenia.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081021/117848345.html

Medvedev pushes ties on Armenia visit

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pushed to strengthen longstanding ties with Armenia on a visit Tuesday, amid shifting political currents in the turbulent Caucasus after August's war in Georgia. Ahead of talks with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian, Medvedev presided at the renaming of a central Yerevan square as Russia Square, saying: "We want the Armenian people to live in a strong, flourishing and stable state. "I am sure the Armenian people also wish us peace, power and well-being." A Kremlin official said talks between the two leaders would examine "the situation in the Caucasus that has resulted from the Georgian regime's aggression against South Ossetia" -- the separatist zone at the centre of the Georgia-Russia war in August. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the leaders were also to discuss the simmering conflict over Nagorny Karabakh, a territory inside Azerbaijan that Armenia took control of in a war in the 1990s. Russia's Izvestia daily said that of the three nations of the South Caucasus, Armenia, home to a Russian military base, stood out for its loyalty to Moscow. "Russia is essentially the only path to the outside world" for Armenia, the newspaper said, noting the country's relative isolation due to poor relations with neighbours Azerbaijan and Turkey. However, some observers believe the conflict over South Ossetia, which disrupted gas supplies to Armenia, may be spurring Armenia to seek other supporters in addition to Russia. Armenia took an ambiguous stance on the conflict and refused to follow Moscow's lead in recognising the independence of the rebel Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Armenia is increasingly being courted by Western powers, including the United States and long-time foe Turkey, a big NATO power in the region. Armenia has been visited in recent days by a top US diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, following a historic visit in September by Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Gul's trip to watch a football match was the first time a Turkish head of state had visited Armenia, reflecting long bitterness over Armenian accusations that mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman Turkey amounted to genocide. Turkey was closely involved in diplomatic efforts over the August war in Georgia, proposing a new format for diplomacy it dubbed a "Platform for Cooperation and Stability in the Caucasus." On Monday the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta said Moscow had been angered by Armenia's less than full support in the conflict with Georgia, saying that "Russian-Armenian relations have left the phase of serenity."

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...hY7o7dKmKQdKkA

Armenian, Russian presidents attend gala ceremony in Yerevan

The presidents of Armenia and Russia have attended a gala ceremony of opening Square of Russia in Yerevan on Tuesday. The square is situated in the area between the buildings of the Yerevan Mayor's office and the city History Museum and the House of Moscow - a cultural and business center. In the beginning of the gala ceremony the national anthems of the two countries were played. Yerevan city mayor Ervand Zakharyan bid welcome to the Russian president on behalf of the people of Armenia and residents of Yerevan, in particular. "We look upon the Russian president’s visit to Armenia as an important event symbolizing strong friendship between the Russian and Armenian people," the Yerevan city mayor said in his welcoming speech. "The Armenian people historically regard the Russian state and its people as their closest friends, and today they believe they have a reliable friend and partner in all fields personified by Russia and its president," the mayor said. The capitals of the two countries - Yerevan and Moscow, have close relations of partnership in all fields and set a good example of cooperation between cities. The Armenian people deeply value mutual friendship that withstood the test of time. To reaffirm this friendship the Yerevan City Council made a decision to name the square in the city center, that has a key administrative importance, Square of Russia, the mayor said. Residents of Yerevan who attended the ceremony warmly greeted the two presidents who spoke at the ceremony. In his speech the Armenian president praised bonds of undying friendship between the Russian and Armenian people. "Throughout the entire history and despite hardships and mischief that befell us friendship between the two countries remained as strong as ever and became even stronger and more meaningful as centuries go by.” “The Great Russian people made a unique contribution to the treasury of the world civilization. The national flags of Armenia and Russia hoisted above this square are not only a symbol of our relations as allies, but personify our cultural and historical unity,” the Armenian president said. "Today, Square of Russia has become another symbol of faithfulness to age long fraternity and spiritual closeness of our people. It is like world famous St. Basil Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow with its unique side chapels, with one of them named after St. Gregory the Illuminator. Let Square of Russia be a favorite place the Armenian people and guests will enjoy and become another symbol of faithfulness to our friendship for the benefit of our countries and people," the Armenian president said. Upon completion of the ceremony Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan inaugurated a memorable plaque to commemorate the historic event.

Source: http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....3716&PageNum=0

Square of Russia unveiled in Armenian capital

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Armenian counterpart have opened the Square of Russia in the Armenian capital. At a solemn opening ceremony, Medvedev described the relations between his country and Armenia ‘an age-old friendship’. “The square we are now in was named after our country,” he said. “It is with deep gratitude that we see this as a sign of respect towards modern democratic Russia and its people. Also, it is a sign of respect for our common history, a recognition of the immense value of our age-old friendship.” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at the ceremony that he hopes the Square will become a symbol of devotion and friendship between the allied nations. The statements came ahead of face to face talks between the countries’ presidents. The leaders are expected to discuss economic, humanitarian and global economic issues.

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/32166

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And to impress Armenians of the Diaspora... In a highly symbolic gesture to show that Russia supports Armenian claims against Turkey, president Medvedev made a highly significant appearance at the Armenian Genocide memorial complex at Tsitsernakaberd where he viewed historic archives and photographs of the tragedy at the on-site museum. President Medvedev was also photographed watering a newly planted tree at the complex in accordance with tradition. Earlier this year on his working visit to Armenia president of Iran Ahmadinejad, mindful of Tehran's close relations with Turkey, avoided making such an appearance at Tsitsernakaberd, unexpectedly leaving Armenia a day ahead of schedule. The puzzling part for me is this; Russia is a much bigger trading partner with Turkey than Iran is and Moscow has very warm relations with Ankara. Why did the Iranian flee Armenia when the Armenian Genocide was brought up and the Russian did not?

Armenian

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) visits a museum commemorating those who died in the 1915 mass killing of Armenians in Yerevan October 21, 2008. Russia said on Tuesday it hoped to bring together leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss their dispute over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, as Moscow vies with the West for influence in the Caucasus region.

Visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev lays a wreath at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008. Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1919 in what is now eastern Turkey. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev waters a tree at Memory Alley near the Genocide Museum in Yerevan on October 21, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pushed to strengthen longstanding ties with Armenia on a visit, amid shifting political currents in the turbulent Caucasus after August's war in Georgia.

[crusader1492]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

As a diaspora Armenian, I salute Medvedev for honoring our Martyrs through his highly visible visit to Tsitsernakaberd.

...contrast this to the USA's policy toward the Genocide and you can further understand the paramount importance of a Russian/Armenia alliance over a US/Armenian one.
As far as I' concerned, Medvedev's gesture is worth more than any "millennium challenge" type fund offered by the US.

[jgk3]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

good point crusader

[Lucin]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

And to impress Armenians of the Diaspora... In a highly symbolic gesture to show that Russia supports Armenian claims against Turkey, president Medvedev made a highly significant appearance at the Armenian Genocide memorial complex at Tsitsernakaberd where he viewed historic archives and photographs of the tragedy at the on-site museum. President Medvedev was also photographed watering a newly planted tree at the complex in accordance with tradition. Earlier this year on his working visit to Armenia president of Iran Ahmadinejad, mindful of Tehran's close relations with Turkey, avoided making such an appearance at Tsitsernakaberd, unexpectedly leaving Armenia a day ahead of schedule. The puzzling part for me is this; Russia is a much bigger trading partner with Turkey than Iran is and Moscow has very warm relations with Ankara. Why did the Iranian flee Armenia when the Armenian Genocide was brought up and the Russian did not?

Yea, but how come Khatami, the former president paid a visit to the Memorial? Could it be due to the growing Kurdish problem at that particular period of time when Ahmadinejad was on his visit in Armenia and the urgent need to cooperate further?

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Yea, but how come Khatami, the former president paid a visit to the Memorial? Could it be due to the growing Kurdish problem at that particular period of time when Ahmadinejad was on his visit in Armenia and the urgent need to cooperate further?

Lucin jan, my question was rhetorical. I understand the nature of politics. When Khatami visited the Armenian Genocide memorial, the political cards at the time must have been right for him to do so. Even so, it was still a great and pleasant surprise for us Armenians. When Ahmadinejad some-or-less 'fled' Armenia just before his scheduled visit, something serious must have occurred behind the scenes. We might never know what happened. It is interesting that visit to the memorial was on the Iranian delegation's official schedule. Thus, Ahmadinejad must have known about it beforehand. But in the last minute he basically ran away... It was very strange, it was very embarrassing. Something big must have happened. However, what all this does is to illustrates just how weak/vulnerable Iran is politically in the world today. On the other hand look at how Moscow handles the situation. Russia needs Turkish support/cooperation in regional politics and they also need their very lucrative trade with Turkey. Yet, Moscow uses every opportunity to safeguard the Armenian state against Turkish aggression and since their recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 1995 Moscow has been consistent in its rhetoric regarding the issue. Incidentally, it's not just Medvedev, Putin has also visited the memorial, so has Lavrov and Ivanov. Why isn't Iran able to do the same? The difference here is, unlike Iran, Russia is dealing with Turkey from a position of strenght. Didn't we see how unusually soft and approachable Turkey got in the aftermath of the Russian-Georgian war? This was another clear indicator of how dependent Turkey is on Russia and how Moscow controls the politics of the region. Nevertheless, by safeguarding a pro-Russian Armenia in the Caucasus Moscow is in essence safeguarding its national interests. Armenia is Russia's foothold in the strategic Caucasus and an obstacle against Turkish and Western expansion in the region. This is why Russia feels it's necessary to keep the Armenian Genocide issue alive. This is where our tiny landlocked and impoverished Armenia can feel secure in a very hostile environment. However, this is also where Armenia might be forced by Moscow into concessions...

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

New “Russia” in Armenia: President Medvedev accentuates friendship with ally during visit

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sought to deepen ties with a Caucasus ally on the second day of his first official visit to Armenia Tuesday. Together with his host Serzh Sargsyan he participated in a ceremonial opening of Russia Square in central Yerevan attended by thousands of city residents before heading for talks with the Armenian leader. (The square is situated near Yerevan municipality, the Moscow House and the statue of Myasnikyan – the area that saw the March 1-2 post-election riots). Speaking at the event, Medvedev praised relations between the two states, saying that naming a square in Yerevan after Russia “confirms the absolute sincerity and genuineness of our fraternal feelings and testifies to the openness and depth of the two states’ relations.” In his remarks, Sargsyan said that for the first time the Russian flag was raised in Armenia in 1827 on top of the fortress that used to stand near that square. It was also the place where prominent 19th century Russian diplomat and writer Alexander Griboyedov’s famous “Woe from Wit” play was for the first time staged. Both presidents called the square a symbol of friendship between the two nations. Russia is Armenia’s main strategic partner on which the Caucasus republic relies for its security and energy. Russia, which is home to a large Armenian community, is also a major trade partner for Armenia. Bilateral trade between the two reached $800 million in 2007 and grew in the first eight months of 2008 by 13 percent, compared to the same period last year. Since 1991, Russia’s aggregate investments into Armenia’s economy made $1.6 billion, with about $428 million invested only in the first half of 2008. Russia’s leading companies in the energy, telecommunications, transportation and other spheres have a sizable share on the Armenian market. Russia is also one of the three co-chairs, along with the United States and France, of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an international format advancing a peaceful settlement of the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Medvedev’s visit came only days after a trip by a top US diplomat to Yerevan. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried’s visit against the background of a shifting geopolitical balance in the region was viewed by many observers as a sign of growing US-Armenian cooperation.

Source: http://www.armenianow.com/?action=vi...D=1205&lng=eng

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Oops! McCain asks Russia's U.N. envoy for money

John McCain's U.S. presidential election campaign has solicited a financial contribution from an unlikely source -- Russia's U.N. envoy -- but a McCain spokesman said on Monday it was a mistake. In the letter, McCain urged Russia's U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, to contribute anywhere from $35 to $5,000 to help ensure McCain's victory over Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, currently ahead in voter preference polls. "If I have the honor of continuing to serve you, I make you this promise: We will always put America -- her strength, her ideals, her future -- before every other consideration," McCain assured Churkin. Moscow's mission to the United Nations issued a terse statement on the Republican presidential candidate's letter, saying that the Russian government and its officials "do not finance political activity in foreign countries." A spokesman for McCain, a long-time critic of Russia, had a simple explanation for the fundraising letter's arrival at the Russian mission in New York: "It was an error in the mailing list." The letter was addressed to Churkin and sported a McCain signature near the bottom. Earlier this month, both McCain and Obama harshly criticized Russia for invading Georgia two months ago, but neither was willing to say yes when asked if Russia under Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the "evil empire". It is illegal for U.S. presidential candidates to accept funds from foreign sources. The McCain campaign accused Obama earlier this month of not doing enough to screen for illegal contributors and asked U.S. election officials to investigate. McCain has agreed to public financing for his campaign and therefore cannot accept funds from private donors.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?...49K69V20081021