Russian president Vladimir Putin congratulated newly-elected president of Armenia Armen Sarkissian on Friday, March 2.

In his message, Putin expressed hope that Sarkissian’s presidency will contribute to the development of Armenia-Russia relations and help deepen Eurasian integration.

The Armenian National Assembly on Friday elected Sarkissian as the country’s president to succeed Serzh Sargsyan, as the nation is making a transition from a presidential system of government to a parliamentary one.

Out of the 105 lawmakers attending the session, 101 cast their ballots, with 90 MPs voting in favor and 10 voting against.