YEREVAN, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin said Armenia is an extremely important strategic ally in a number of areas, said a statement released by the Armenian security agency.

Arthur Vanetsyan, head of Armenia's National Security Service, met with Kopirkin on Friday to discuss a range of issues pertaining to the cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the sphere of intelligence services.

The meeting was held amid an unease in Armenia-Russia relations caused by the Armenian authorities' decision to launch a criminal case against the Armenian head of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, Yuri Khachaturov, for "toppling the constitutional order."

Khachaturov was let out on bail by a Yerevan court on July 27.