Azernews.Az

Secretary of the National Security Council of Russia Nikolay Patrushev is on a three-day official visit to Yerevan at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Artur Baghdasaryan, Armenia Today reported.

The Russian delegation includes a number of senior officials of the National Security Council.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan discussed with Nikolay Patrushev "a wide range of issues of interaction between the two states, which are strategic allies," the press service of Armenian government reported.

The sides discussed regional events and challenges, as well as the current state of negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Sargsyan and Patrushev particularly discussed the progress of works to improve the safety of the entire length of the border of Armenia with Turkey and Iran, which is guarded by Russian border guards. They also considered the issues of modernization and re-equipment of checkpoints.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on liberation of the occupied territories.