YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with the newly elected Patriarch of Istanbul Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan and a group of Turkish-Armenian Monday to discuss prospects for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict–the current state of relations between Armenia and Turkey and possible ways to develop them. The president–specifically stressed that Armenian-Turkish relations should not be contingent on relations with a third country.
The president briefed the guests on the major trends and priorities of the Armenian government’s economic policy.
Arch. Mutafyan said the positive changes that had taken place in Armenia during the last year were evident and fairly promising.