Christmas "gifts" from Putin to Armenia

Russia welcomes resumption of direct contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a briefing in Yerevan after talks with Armenian President Sargsyan.

" I was recently on a visit to Baku. We also talked with the Azerbaijani President in detail about the prospects of settlement. I am very pleased to note that the meeting, which was held in Vienna on November 19, was clearly positive. We hope for common sense and the desire to settle on both sides, and we will do everything to promote it within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group," said Putin.

Asked about Russia's actions in the case of "aggression" by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, Putin said that he hoped that blood would be never shed in Nagorno-Karabakh - either by Armenians or by Azerbaijanis. "The more often to repeat the words aloud, the less will be the conditions for a peaceful settlement in the region. We would like no bloodshed forever in this region of the world, located so close to the Russian border, - no by Armenian citizens or citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan," Putin said, calling "counterproductive" the talk about the alleged decisions in case of possible military action.

 Putin reported further reduce in the gas prices for Armenia to 189 dollars per thousand cubic meters from the current $ 270. At the same time, Putin said that Russia sells gas to Europe for $ 500.

Another outcome of the negotiations and agreements with Putin in Yerevan was that Armenia will be able to buy Russian weapons for the inside Russian prices. Azerbaijan buys same weapons from Moscow at international prices that are 30-40% higher.

Note that for the first time in the history the Armenian opposition met the Russian President with street protests  So a few hundred people organized protests in various parts of Yerevan, urging Putin to get out of Armenia and criticizing the country's authorities for refusing of European integration. -02D-