The centuries-old friendship of Russians and Armenians remains the key to further strengthening the Russian-Armenian strategic partnership, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday in Yerevan.

His remarks came at the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

“It is a great honor for me to take part in the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of the National Art Gallery, which provided its beautiful halls for this exhibition in this wonderful building. The materials of the exhibition tell in detail about the tragic events of those years, the unparalleled feat of our fathers and grandfathers, who, at the cost of incredible efforts and sacrifices, saved civilization from the horrors of the brown plague, and put a solid barrier to its path,” he said. “The Armenian people are rightfully proud of their heroes who have made an invaluable contribution to the common cause of the defeat of Nazism.

According to the FM, Russia highly appreciates the constant attention given in Armenia to preserving the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War. 

“Next year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory. It is especially important for us that the Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan was one of the first to respond to the invitation of President Putin to take part in the anniversary events to be held on May 9, 2020 on Red Square in Moscow,” Lavrov added. “The centuries-old friendship of Russians and Armenians, hardened by severe military trials, remains the key to further strengthening the Russian-Armenian strategic partnership and alliance for the benefit of our citizens in the name of security and stability in the Caucasus and, in general, in our region.”