A monument to the Armenian-Russian friendship, and called "Unity of Centuries," will be erected in Yerevan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is in Armenia on a working visit, stated this at a news conference on Thursday.

The Russian minister noted that during the meeting with his Armenian counterpart, they discussed a number of issues on the agenda of bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as the course of implementation of the previously reached agreements.

"Our leaders have confirmed the privileged nature of the alliance between Russia and Armenia," he said, adding that the parties agreed to maintain high pace in this regard.

Accordingly, a session of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, interregional and youth forums, as well as the installation of a monument to the Armenian-Russian friendship in downtown Yerevan are planned this year. The Days of Armenian Culture will start in Russia Friday, and Days of Russian Spiritual Culture will be held in Armenia in the second half of the year.

"Russia continues to remain the leading trade partner [of Armenia], a leading investor in the Armenian economy. Despite the decline caused by the [coronavirus] pandemic, we have managed to return the trade to a stable growth path, and we are developing cooperation," Lavrov said.

Taking into account the desire of the Armenian side, work is being done to increase the number of Russian schools in Armenia, and to increase the quotas of those in Armenia who want to study in Russia.

The parties discussed also issues of increasing the frequency of consultations between the two foreign ministries, and cooperation within the EEU, CIS, and CSTO.

"We have the same positions on most global and regional issues. We agreed to continue coordinating our activities—taking into account the changing geopolitical realities," said the Russian FM.