Putin to Meet with EAEU Leaders in Sochi

MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a number of bilateral international meetings on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Sochi on May 14. He is expected to meet with newly-elected Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano, Acting Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said.

 Russia-Armenia

The first personal meeting between the Russian leader and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan will take place in Sochi. Ushakov noted that this will be the first meeting between the two countries’ leaders after the changes in Armenia’s political system. In his view, this contact “it important in itself from the point of view that the two countries’ leaders will get acquainted with each other.” “I do not think there will be some in-depth discussion of all bilateral issues, but some issues can naturally be taken up, some questions asked, taking into account Mr. Pashinyan’s well-known statements on cooperation in the EAEU, CSTO and so on,” Ushakov said.

He also suggested that the parties will focus on topical issues related to regional security. “It is expected that during the upcoming talks in Sochi the key bilateral issues and some pressing regional issues will be discussed,” he said, adding that during the first contact the two leaders will discuss the agenda of the Eurasian Economic Council.

According to the Kremlin, Russia’s and Armenia’s stances on international and regional issues “are close or coincide.” “Intense contacts between the two countries’ Foreign Ministries contribute to coordination in the foreign policy sphere, including within the framework of the UN, the Eurasian Economic Union, the CIS, CSTO, OSCE and other multilateral organizations,” the Kremlin aide said recalling that Russia, along with two other co-chairs (US and France) of the OSCE Minsk Group, “plays an active mediating role in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

Russia-IAEA

The upcoming meeting with the IAEA Director General, during which it is planned to discuss Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, stands apart in a series of meetings with the EAEU leaders. The meeting will likewise be held in Sochi on May 14. “This contact is of special importance, considering the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the Iran deal. Everyone realizes that,” Ushakov said.

When asked whether it is planned to discuss Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal, the Kremlin aide said that the issue will certainly be discussed.

Source: Itar Tass

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