GYUMRI. – Armenian President said Gyumri has become a symbol of the future of Armenian-Russian relations. (photos)

“Even back in 1829 during his trip to the Caucasus, Alexander Pushkin visited Gyumri on his way to the biblical Ararat. In 1837 a Russian fortress was founded here. The Russian Emperor Nicholas I visited the city and it was named Alexandrapol to honor Empress Alexandra Feodorovna,” President Serzh Sargsyan said during the Armenian-Russian interregional forum.

He recalled that a Hill of Honor commemorating Russian army officers killed in the Russian -Turkish wars is located in the city.

“Traditions of our military brotherhood continue with the 102nd military base of Russian Armed Forces,” he emphasized.