YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The delegation headed by RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan on September 24 went on a two-day working visit to Yaroslavl in order to participate in the 11th sitting of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. According to a report of the RA government, Minister of Transport of the RF, the Russian Co-Chairman of the Commission Igor Levitin, Governor of Yaroslavl Region Sergey Vakhrukov, representatives of the Intergovernmental Commission and the regional administration met the Armenian delegation. At noon T. Sargsyan had a meeting with members of the Armenian community in Yaroslavl region. He spoke about the socioeconomic situation in Armenia and the measures being taken to deal with the consequences of the global financial and economic crisis in the country. In his words, there are some reasons for cautious optimism for 2010, which will be a year of recovery, while in the next years Armenia's economy will enter a stage of sustainable growth. The prime minister underlined that the ongoing processes in Russia have a considerable impact on the Armenian economy. He also addressed the regional problems and the latest developments in Armenian-Turkish relations, noting that Armenia has taken a principled stand: to estalish relations with Turkey without any preconditions. He answered questions about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, the development of road infrastructures, the promotion of interstate and interregional economic links between Armenia and Russia, the preservation of Armenian identity and solution of the problems of Armenians living abroad. The prime minister also touched upon such issues as the encouragement of competition, the improvement of the quality of education, the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, and dual citizenship. T. Sargsyan attached special importance to the participation of Armenian workers in construction activity for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the export of Armenian building materials for this purpose. During the visit T. Sargsyan met with Yaroslavl Governor Sergey Vakhrukov. The sides discussed the opportunities of mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises of Armenia and Yaroslavl Region. The importance of scientific-technical and cultural cooperation was pointed out. The interlocutors touched upon the issue of Surb Gevorg Armenian Church being constructed in Yaroslavl. The Armenian prime minister appreciated the attention and friendly attitide of Yaroslavl leaders to the 7 thousand-strong Armenian community. Tigran Sargsyan accompanied by Igor Levitin and Sergey Vakhrukov went to the Tolgsky Svyato-Vedensky Monastery and met with Mother Varvara, one of Russia's famous religious figures.

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