Personal relations are a very important component of interstate relations. Robert Kocharyan—the second President, leader of the "Armenia" bloc which will run in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, and its candidate for prime minister—said this in an interview with Russian media.

To the question whether he can open the content of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin a little, especially since there have been three such conversations since the beginning of the year, and the internal political situation and the Karabakh issue were discussed during them, Kocharyan answered: "There was a report on the topic; I cannot say more than this."

When asked whether they communicate during the pre-election phase, whether there were any contacts, the second President of Armenia responded: "No, not lately. When I am in Moscow, I have such contact; not from Armenia—well, for well-known and understandable reasons."

And when asked whether he keeps in touch with the Russian political elite, Kocharyan said: "Yes of course. These ties are on a personal level. I can maintain friendships, maintain relations. In general, I believe that personal relations are a very important component in interstate relations as well; that is, we are all human, we remain human. And it [i.e., personal relations] cannot but strengthen or nurture interstate relations, and vice versa. It is important to build trustworthy relations."