The head of the Russian Orthodox Church began a three-day visit to the Armenian capital on Tuesday to meet the country's leadership and lay the foundation of a new Russian church.

"Such visits are important and indicate strong relations between churches. They also encourage development," Patriarch Kirill told journalists upon arrival in Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport.

"We... belong to ancient apostolic traditions, which have moral and spiritual values. Such visits make us real partners in the preservation and defense of these values for our countries and the whole world," he said.

Catholicos Garegin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, said he was glad that ties between the two countries and their churches are continuing to grow.

YEREVAN, March 16 (RIA Novosti)