Armenia ex-President describes relationship with Putin as 'chemistry'September 19, 2018 - 17:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has described his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as "chemistry that can't always be explained." "We cooperated during the eight years of my presidency and that of Vladimir Putin. We had an absolutely honest relationship," Kocharyan said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant. "We kept in touch all the time after my tenure. I have never attempted to capitalize on them (the contacts - Ed.). "I have great respect for him, I feel that he has a similar attitude towards me. We respect each other, respect the work we have done together to advance the Russian-Armenian relations. Our meetings and discussions were never confined to the situation in Armenia, we touched on a much wider range of issues." Speaking about the nature of his friendship with Putin, Kocharyan said it is "chemistry that can't be always explained". "I do not think that there is a certain separate factor, it is the sum of factors that overlap and create emotional synergy between people. And this becomes a kind of cementing compound for these relations," the former Armenian President was quoted as saying. Days earlier, Putin called Kocharyan to congratulate him on his birthday. Related links: Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |