The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone with his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian.
In a statement released on March 12, Putin's press service said he and Sarksian discussed their countries' "partnership" as well as "integration processes" within the Eurasian Economic Union (EES), which Armenia joined in January.
Among other issues discussed were upcoming events marking the centennial of mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the 70th anniversary of the Nazi defeat in World War II.
The statement came amid rumors -- denied by the Kremlin -- that the 62-year-old Putin is ill.
Putin had been scheduled to visit Kazakhstan on March 12-13 and meet there with the presidents of the other two founding members of the EES -- Belarus and Kazakhstan -- but his spokesman said on March 11 that the trip had been postponed for several days.
Sarkisian was apparently not invited to the meeting.
