Russia considers the US and NATO actions on the "military development" of South Caucasus to be a serious military-political challenge, Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova said in an interview with the Azerbaijani ONA portal.

According to her, this region belongs to the sphere of particularly important interests of Russia.

“The significance of the South Caucasus in a wide geopolitical context is obvious,” she said adding that Russia “regards the US and NATO actions on the "military development" of South Caucasus as a serious military-political challenge for Russia.

“And, of course, we must not forget about the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in which, unfortunately, our two closest friends and partners are involved - Azerbaijan and Armenia,” she said adding that maintaining stability in the South Caucasus, ensuring the progressive development of the region with the friendly attitude of its countries towards Russia will continue to be one of the most important goals of Russian foreign policy.