Moscow cannot but be concerned by the alarming trends that are gaining momentum in the South Caucasus, where the West is clearly trying to transfer the confrontation schemes it has worked out in Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We see what unprecedented pressure from the outside is subjected to the brotherly Armenia. Steps are taken to discredit Russia's policy in the region in an attempt to damage centuries-old ties between our countries and peoples. Numerous foundations, NGOs and media outlets, acting at the behest of Washington and Brussels, are redoubling their efforts to implant anti-Russian sentiments into society.

We are confident that attempts of external powers to discord Moscow and Yerevan will fail. We are inclined towards the strengthening of our strategic alliance and multifaceted cooperation with Armenia, which will allow us together to overcome the current challenges. We are developing a dialogue on the military-political and military-technical lines. Our commodity turnover is growing at a record pace. Serious projects are being implemented and developed in the transport and logistics, infrastructure, mining and high-tech sectors. Dozens of major Russian companies are ready to continue investing in the Armenian economy. We are successfully resolving the problems of strengthening the republic's energy and food security. Extensive contacts are maintained in scientific, educational and cultural spheres. Yerevan also benefits greatly from its participation in the Eurasian Economic Union," Zakharova said.

According to her, the West's brazen and impudent approach can also be observed with regard to the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. "Neither regional specifics, nor special sensitivity of the issue are taken into account. The real goal of Washington and Brussels is not to work out compromise and balanced solutions but to push Russia out of Transcaucasia.

Our trilateral achievements are being appropriated and perverted. Western emissaries often visit Armenia under the guise of the European Union, OSCE and France. Hastily concocted initiatives are being promoted that do not take into account the interests of the entire population of the region. This is fraught with the risk of breaking the balance achieved in difficult conditions on the basis of the agreement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020.

At the same time, unfounded accusations are circulated that Moscow is allegedly not fulfilling its security commitments towards Armenia. In this connection, we would like to recall that it was our country that stopped the war in November 2020, sent peacekeepers who brought peace and stability to the region, and to this day makes a decisive contribution to the settlement of armed incidents between Baku and Yerevan. Attempts by outside forces to have the Russian peacekeeping contingent withdraw are precisely aimed at destabilizing the South Caucasus.

At all levels, we continue to work with our partners for a comprehensive normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including the unblocking of transport communications, border delimitation, agreement on a peace treaty, the resolution of humanitarian problems and the establishment of public and expert dialogue. At the same time, peace requires political will and the consent of both sides.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Russia for the next trilateral summit, where a whole range of trilateral and bilateral issues are to be discussed," she concluded.