YEREVAN. – The visit of the Russian Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will certainly have a positive impact on combat readiness of the Russian military base, President Serzh Sargsyan said.

He recalled that the Russian contingent, according to our government treaties, is an essential component of Armenia's military security.

Vladimir Putin started his Armenia trip with a visit to Gyumri and the 102nd Russian military base.

“I am grateful to you for accepting our offer and beginning a state visit to Armenia from Gyumri. This is our most colorful and the most conservative city. And, of course, your participation gave a very different meaning to the interregional forum that we held there,” Armenian president noted.

Noting that Armenia-Russia relations are developing dynamically,President Sargsyan said the bilateral meetings are regular and frequent.

 “We have recently participated in the CIS summit, and we held, in my opinion, an efficient meeting in Sochi at the CSTO summit. I was in Moscow and we talked about our common affairs and our willingness to join Customs Union,” he said.